Forever and a Day
by Every Shade of Blue
Summary: A modern take on Wilabeth in which Will and Elizabeth live in present-day London. Tune in weekly-ish for fluffy Wilabeth romance, and, just for the heck of it, a bit of entertainingly drunk Jack! Rated T for a bit of language.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"…and then this gian' bloke, 'e goes, 'Well I ain' gonna fit through tha' door!' An' 'is friend, then, 'e goes, 'Well o' course you ain', tha' door's fer the dog!'"

If this triumphantly pronounced statement wasn't enough to rouse Will Turner from his absentminded contemplation of his beer bottle, the roar of drunken laughter that followed it was. Will slowly spun his barstool around and was completely unsurprised to see his best friend sitting in the middle of a more-than-slightly inebriated crowd, a half-finished cocktail in his hand, with several empty glasses on a nearby table as testament to the amount that the man had already had to drink. Will rolled his eyes as he dug his cell phone out of his back pocket and dialed.

"Hey, Ana," he yelled over the rowdy noise in the bar. "You'd better come get your boyfriend."

There was a resigned sigh from Anamaria's end of the line. "Where is he this time?"

"In the middle of his own bar getting shit-faced… again," he added as an afterthought.

"Dammit," Ana muttered. "All right. I'll be there soon."

Will was about to reply when he was interrupted by an unsteady shout from his friend across the room.

"'ey, Willy, do me a favor an' gimme 'nother drink, mate!"

Will raised the phone to his ear again. "Ana, are you still there? You'd better hurry up. He's starting to call me Willy." He slipped the cell back into his pocket and spun his stool back around, ignoring any and all requests for more drinks. He completely failed to notice that the stool next to his was occupied until the woman sitting on it spoke to him.

"Should I not call you Willy, then?"

Will jumped and felt a sudden rush of heat in his face as he realized that the young woman who was now grinning at him in amusement was extremely attractive.

"I – just not – uh…" He swallowed hard, desperately trying to remember the best way in which to form a coherent sentence. He failed miserably.

Still grinning, the young woman prompted him, "Maybe you should tell me what I _should_ call you."

Will cleared his throat, drank some beer, and at last managed to come up with an answer.

"I'm Will. Will Turner."

"Elizabeth Swann," the woman said in reply. "And I take it you know him…" She gestured behind them at Will's friend, whose speech was by now nearly unintelligible.

Will snorted. "Unfortunately. That's Jack Sparrow."

Elizabeth looked slightly startled. "Isn't this place owned by a Jack Sparrow?"

"Yep."

"So the man lying on the floor over there with some sort of rum-based drink in his hand would be – "

"The guy who owns the bar? Yeah." For some reason, Will found it much easier to talk about Jack than to talk about himself.

Elizabeth had to laugh a little. "And you know him how exactly?"

"Well… I'd like to say that I've just been frequenting this bar for a long time, but… he's sort of my best friend."

Elizabeth's raised eyebrows plainly showed her astonishment. "You don't seem like the type."

It was Will's turn to laugh. "I'm really not… It's a long story." He turned and contemplated his friend, adding to Elizabeth, "Could you hang on just a minute?"

She nodded her assent, and he made his way over to Jack. The crowd around him had quickly dispersed when they realized that they could no longer understand a word he said. Will hauled him unceremoniously to his feet.

"You do know that bartenders are supposed to mix drinks for people other than themselves, right?"

Jack stared at him rather unsteadily. "Wha'?"

"Never mind," Will muttered. "Who's supposed to work tonight, Jack?"

"Work…" Jack slurred. "Now there's a – an innerestin' con-" He hiccupped. "-concept…"

Will rolled his eyes as Elizabeth stifled a snort of laughter. Jack continued undeterred.

"Did – did ya know tha' – " Another hiccup. " – tha' I had ta take a double shif' tanight… 'cause I couldn' ge' hold o' _no one_ ta work?"

"Jack," Will groaned, "are you saying you were supposed to be here all night?"

"Tha's wha' I'm a-sayin', Willy. All o' them good-fer-nothin' em – employs – emplables – "

"Employees," Elizabeth supplied with a grin.

"Righ', wha' she said… An' none of 'em, not a one – " Hiccup.

Will gave up. "Sometimes I really hate you, Jack."

Jack swayed drunkenly and nearly slid sideways off of his stool. "I luv ya too, Willy-boy."

Will felt himself blush as Elizabeth laughed even harder. Luckily for him, though, Ana chose that exact moment to enter the bar. Ignoring her boyfriend, she instead turned to Will.

"Do you want me to stay until you can find someone to fill in for Jack for the night?"

Will shook his head. "There's no point. He was supposed to work a double shift because he couldn't get ahold of anyone. And now he's so sodding drunk he probably doesn't even know his own name, much less anyone else's."

Jack decided to chime in. "Wha' ya talkin' 'bout? I'm Jack… an' yer Willy…"

"Dammit, Jack, what have I told you about that…" Will muttered, rubbing his forehead as though he was beginning to get a headache.

"So what are you going to do?" Ana asked. "Close the bar?"

"And end up with a drunken riot on my hands? No thanks." Will drained the last of his beer and positioned himself behind the bar with a resigned shrug. "I've done this enough times before to know how to run the place."

"Usually on the weekends, though," Ana countered. "Don't you have to work in the morning?"

Will sighed. "Yeah, I do." He grabbed Jack's arm in time to stop him from sliding to the floor, then turned back to Ana. "Just take him home before he throws up or something. I'll run the place, but I won't clean it."

As Anamaria hauled her semi-conscious boyfriend out of his bar, she called back to Will, "You're a saint, li'l man."

Will shook his head. "Make sure you tell him he owes me big for this one."

"Aye, will do, mate."

As the door swung shut behind Jack and Ana, Will realized that Elizabeth was still regarding him with interest.

"Sorry about that," he said apologetically.

Elizabeth smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry. I've seen drunk idiots before."

Will had to chuckle. "Just be glad you were never his roommate."

A small mob approached the bar, forcing Will to move away from Elizabeth for a few minutes to serve them.

When he came back, Elizabeth said conversationally, "So you don't really work here, then."

"No… although it feels like I do sometimes."

"So where do you work?"

Will looked uncomfortable. "I hate answering that question."

"Why?" Elizabeth laughed.

Will rolled his eyes. "Let's just say that Jack thinks that question is the reason why I don't really date all that much."

"Come on," Elizabeth smiled, "it can't be all that bad."

Will just shrugged, looking reluctant.

"Promise I won't laugh," Elizabeth coaxed.

"Oh, fine," Will said finally. "I'm a – a blacksmith."

Elizabeth's face brightened. "Really?" She sounded thrilled. "That's brilliant!"

Will stared at her blankly. "What?"

It was Elizabeth's turn to blush. "I guess that's not the response you're used to, huh?"

"Not really, no. It's usually somewhere along the lines of 'Oh, well that's… interesting,' followed by a round of less-than-subtle snickering as soon as I start to walk away."

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. "Sorry."

Will grinned. "You're not off the hook just yet, Miss Elizabeth Swann. I still want to know what exactly makes my job 'brilliant'."

Elizabeth was still blushing slightly. "It's nothing, really… I was just always fascinated by things like pirates and ships and swords when I was little. You don't actually make swords, do you?"

"All the time."

"Are you being serious," Elizabeth laughed, "or are you just trying to pick me up?"

Will laughed as well, looking embarrassed. "That depends. Is it working?"

"It just might be… but only if you can prove that you're telling the truth."

"You could come by my shop tomorrow," Will suggested.

"_Your_ shop?"

"Didn't I mention that? I own the place."

"How old are you? You're not way older that you look, are you?"

"No," Will laughed. "My dad bought it for me when I was sixteen, signed it over to me as soon as I was old enough. Best birthday present ever."

Elizabeth shook her head, smiling. "You're a very interesting man, Will Turner."

* * *

I have three things to say:

1. Writing drunk Jack is surprisingly fun.

2. I am open to any and all title ideas, because seriously, I've got nothing.

3. Reviews are like Christmas. I love Christmas. Therefore, I love reviews. Hint, hint ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own all the rights to the entire _Pirates of the Caribbean _franchise. I'm kidding. I don't own anything. That would be ludicrous.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The first thing Elizabeth saw when she walked through the door of the small, inconspicuous shop assured her beyond a doubt that she was in the right place.

Swords. The walls were absolutely covered in swords of all shapes and sizes, everything from the most basic to the most intricate.

The second thing she was Will Turner, fast asleep with his head on his arms, resting against one of the display cases. Not wanting to wake him if she didn't have to, she moved toward an intriguing sword hanging on the main display wall. It was mounted squarely in the middle, and small amounts of empty space had been left around it, giving it an air of prominence.

It was beautiful. The blade was polished to perfection, reflecting the soft overhead lights breathtakingly along its length. The blade was flawless silver, inlaid with delicate gold. Thin, golden-yellow braid hung from the end of the handle as decoration.

"You like that one?"

Elizabeth jumped slightly, and turned to see Will behind her, leaning casually against the counter with his arms folded across a worn blue t-shirt. She glanced down at the rest of his attire and saw an equally worn and faded pair of blue jeans and a dirty pair of black Converse Chucks. She found the outfit surprisingly attractive. Or maybe that was just him. Her sort-of "boyfriend" James almost always wore a dress shirt, more often than not with a tie. He looked nice, but it did become tiresome after a while. She couldn't help wondering how Will would look in one of those shirts… maybe even in a suit. Probably really good. Really, really good…

He was still watching her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. Oops. She turned away, looking back at the sword to hide the fact that she had just turned extremely red.

"Yeah, it's… it's incredible. I love it."

Will came and stood next to her, also looking up at the sword. "Thanks. I could probably get a huge amount of money for it if I sold it, but… well, it's sort of my baby, to tell the truth. I spent so long working on it. I'm not sure I could ever sell it."

"I don't blame you at all," Elizabeth said, smiling at him. "It's amazing. You're very talented."

Will grinned, embarrassed, and shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. Elizabeth found his shyness incredibly endearing.

"So…" Will said at length, finally regaining his voice, "what now?"

"Well, I didn't actually come here intending to buy a sword. I'm not so sure now, though," Elizabeth laughed.

"I could give you the family-and-friends discount," Will offered, still grinning. "And I don't give that to just anyone, mind you."

"Who _do_ you give it to?"

"Jack, Ana, and… my dad… and that's it, really…" He shrugged, looking a little embarrassed again. "It's really just because I swear Jack and my dad are pirates at heart. That's why Jack named his bar the Black Pearl. Supposedly it was some infamous pirate ship, or something. But anyway, they've each got about two or three of these." He gestured toward the swords on the walls.

Elizabeth smiled. "Maybe I'm a pirate at heart, too."

"And what, may I ask, would you do with a sword, Miss Swann?"

"Um…" Elizabeth thought about it for a moment, rather at a loss. "Protect my apartment from intruders."

Will let out a snort of laughter. "Were you just thinking of stabbing indiscriminately, or do you have some hidden sword-wielding talents that you haven't told me about?"

"Maybe I'll take a class."

"They have those sorts of classes around here?"

Elizabeth knew he was teasing her. "What do you know that I don't, Mr. Turner?"

He shrugged innocently. "I was just curious to know where this class exists."

"And I'm curious to know, William, what it is that you're not telling me." _Oh my God, am I actually flirting with him? I barely know him!_

He made a face. "That's two things you've called me now that I don't especially like."

"You don't even let anyone call you William?"

"Not by choice; my dad does anyway, sometimes."

"Cute," Elizabeth answered. "But if you don't answer my question, I can always just start calling you Willy."

"Ugh. All right, you win." He took down one of the swords mounted on the wall, twirling it expertly in his hand. "What I haven't told you, Elizabeth, is that I myself am more than competent in the use of a sword."

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment. "Really?"

He nodded, grinning that infectious grin of his. "I taught myself."

"Why?" Elizabeth laughed.

He shrugged. "It was different, it was challenging… I was bored…"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask what else you do when you're bored?"

"I'm trying to learn French right now."

Elizabeth had to laugh again. "Of course you are."

"Parlez-vous français?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

"Me neither. I'm bloody awful at it."

Elizabeth found that she could barely stop laughing. "Do you always entertain your customers this much?"

"Not always. But none of my other customers are as beautiful as you." He immediately felt a rush of heat in his face. _I definitely did _not _mean to say that out loud._

Elizabeth smiled almost shyly, blushing as well.

"S-sorry," Will said, practically stuttering in his nervousness.

Elizabeth was about to answer when her watch began to beep insistently. She glanced at it quickly. "I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave now. Tell you what, though… I'll be back to talk about that sword." She moved to the door and opened it, then paused just inside. "You might want to get some more sleep after your long night bailing out that friend of yours."

Will laughed slightly. "Yeah. I'll do that."

She smiled at him one more time, then turned and stepped outside and was gone.

* * *

And so the fluffiness begins! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What would you say if I told you that I met the girl I'm going to marry?"

Jack, apparently, did not realize that his best friend was completely serious asking him such a question, because Will had to wait for him to finish laughing before he could get a coherent word out of him.

"You ask th' weirdest questions, mate," he managed finally, wiping his eyes on his shirtsleeve. Then he stared at Will for a moment. "Oh God, yer serious, aren' you?"

"I – yeah, sort of…"

Jack started laughing again.

Reddening quickly, Will downed the last of his beer and got up to leave. "Why do I even bother?"

* * *

Anamaria passed Will on her way into the bar, and just that quick glimpse of his face was more than enough to tell her that he was annoyed. Jack was standing at the counter, chuckling quietly to himself. Ana slid into the stool across from him.

"What did you do to Will this time, Jack?"

Jack was still grinning madly. "Yer never gonna guess wha' tha' fool boy jus' came in 'ere an' asked me."

Ana knew he was waiting for her to ask what. She didn't oblige.

Jack glared at her ineffectually for a moment. "All righ', fine. Be tha' way." The uncontrollable grin sprang back onto his face. "Tha' li'l idiot comes in 'ere an' says t' me, 'Wha' would you say if I tol' you I met th' girl I'm gonna marry.'" He started laughing yet again.

Ana just stared. "_Well?_"

Jack's smile faded somewhat. "Well? Well wha'?"

"Well _who is it?_"

"'ow should I know?" Jack asked defensively.

Ana looked livid. "Do you really mean to tell me that your best friend came in here and all but told that he's in love, _and you didn't even think to ask with who?_"

"Wha – no!"

Throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, Ana jumped off of her stool and followed the same path Will had taken out of the bar.

* * *

She caught up to him just as he reached the door of his shop.

"Hey, Will!"

Will glanced up briefly, unlocked the door. "Hey, Ana. Didn't I just see you going into the Pearl?"

Ana nodded. "Sure did. And then I left again."

"Dare I ask why?"

"Jack's an idiot."

"Ah. No arguments here, then." He held the door open for her, following her inside. As soon as the door had closed behind them, Ana turned excitedly toward him, all but jumping up and down. "What's the matter with you?" Will laughed, trying to step around her.

"I've been waiting for you to find a girl for _ages!_ Who is she?"

Will rolled his eyes. Jack would tell anybody anything. "She's just this girl I met."

Ana shook her head emphatically. "_Uh-uh_. If you're telling Jack that she's the girl you're going to marry, you're certainly not brushing me off with 'some girl I met.'"

Will shrugged. "Fine. Her name's Elizabeth. Elizabeth Swann."

"Elizabeth Swann," Ana repeated. "Hmm… Elizabeth Turner… you know, that kind of works. I like it, don't you?"

Will laughed nervously, turning red. "I didn't say I'm _actually_ marrying her, you know."

Ana grinned. "No, but you _like_ her, don't you? That _never_ happens. I swear, you're so hard to satisfy."

Will knew she was teasing him. "It's you women who are hard to satisfy. What, exactly, is so wrong with being a blacksmith?"

Ana sobered suddenly. "She does know that you're a blacksmith, right?"

Will nodded, couldn't help smiling. "She's been here, actually. She thought it was great."

Ana looked thrilled again. "Really?"

"Really."

"Then she's a keeper for sure, mate! When do I get to meet her?"

"We're not even dating!" Will exclaimed. "And besides, you already have. She was sitting next to me at the Pearl last night."

Ana thought about it, remembered suddenly. "Aww, I thought you two would have made a cute couple!"

"Ana!"

"When's the first date?" Ana pressed, undeterred.

"There isn't one yet."

"There should be. There's going to be, right?"

"I don't know. There could be, at some point."

Ana shook her head. "There had better be. And as soon as there is one, _call me_."

Will rolled his eyes. "I will."

She smiled. "Off course you will. But in the meantime, you'd better hope she doesn't go back to the Pearl."

"Why's that?" Will asked apprehensively.

"Because when I left, Jack was launching into the rousing tale of 'How William Turner Found His Lady Love.'"

"Oh God…"

"Sorry. Can't say I didn't warn you, though, so be prepared."

Will remembered with sudden clarity the week that Jack had spent regaling his bar patrons with the tale of 'How William Turner Got Rejected By Three Women in One Night, Because Apparently, Making Swords Isn't as Sexy as He Thought It Was.' It was a bad week.

"You don't think he'll tell _everyone_, do you?"

"Remember that time he told everyone about how you got rejected three times – "

"Yeah, yeah, I remember…"

"Well… there's your answer, mate."

* * *

"You look mighty familiar, you know tha'?" Jack eyed the girl sitting in front of him critically, unable to remember how he knew her. He hoped he wasn't about to get slapped.

"I think I know why you don't remember me," she said, smiling.

"Oh really? An' why would tha' be?"

"Because when you met me, you were so drunk you could barely form a coherent sentence."

"Ah."

"Then your girlfriend came and picked you up, and your best friend had to stay here and work all night, even though he had to work in the morning."

"Ahh." Jack chose to ignore the pointed remark about Will having to work. "So you met Will, then?"

"Uh-huh."

"You wanna hear somethin' funny 'bout 'im?"

* * *

A/N: Will's in trouble now!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"So I heard something about you yesterday."

Will looked up and saw Elizabeth standing in front of him, smiling like she knew something embarrassing .

"Is that so? Who from?"

"Jack Sparrow."

Will attributed the smile to the fact that she _did _know something embarrassing.

"Oh…"

"Jack informed me – and everyone else – that you went to the Pearl the other day and told him that you had 'met the girl you're going to marry.'"

Will shifted guiltily. "Um."

Elizabeth was grinning. "You must _really_ like this girl."

"Umm…" Will shuffled his feet nervously behind the counter, scuffing his shoes on the floor. "See, the thing about Jack is that you can't believe everything that he – "

"His girlfriend was there, too. Anamaria, I think? I asked her about it. She said it was true." Elizabeth had never seen anyone turn so red so fast.

"See, she's been dating Jack for a really long time. You probably can't believe anything she says either – "

"I heard her tell some people the mystery woman's name. It was Elizabeth."

Will stared at her rather guiltily for a moment, unable to come up with any more excuses. "Yeah, all right… I give up."

Elizabeth leaned somewhat flirtatiously against the counter. "Are you telling people that you want to marry me, Mr. Turner?"

"Uh… not in _those_ words, exactly…"

"I think we should at least go out for coffee first, don't you?" Elizabeth suggested, smiling.

It took Will a moment to realize that she was asking him out.

"C-coffee…?"

Elizabeth took a few seconds to reflect on just how adorable he was when he was nervous.

He swallowed hard, seemed to finally remember how to form a proper sentence. "I don't actually drink coffee. But I can do dinner on Saturday."

Elizabeth's smile was nearly enough to make him lightheaded. "Dinner sounds good. Tell you what…" She took one of his business cards off the counter and wrote something on the back of it. "Here's my number. You can decide where you want to go. Just call me with a time and place."

Will took the card, hoping she couldn't see how much his hands were sweating. He glanced at the number on the back. She had nice handwriting.

"Will."

He looked up, saw that she was standing by the door.

She smiled again. "See you on Saturday."

"Yeah, see you…"

She stepped outside, and the door swung shut behind her. Immediately, Will sank into a chair, letting out a breath that he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. It was no wonder he was so lightheaded. He couldn't help wondering vaguely if he would even be able to survive an entire date with Elizabeth Swann.

* * *

"Are you doing anything this Saturday, Elizabeth?"

She glanced up from her book, saw James Norrington standing in the doorway of the sunroom.

"Yes, actually. I'm going out."

"Oh." He sounded mildly surprised. "Out where?"

Elizabeth felt a twinge of annoyance. "Out for dinner. With a date."

James looked startled. "A date?"

"Yes, a date. You're not my boyfriend, James, despite what my father seems to believe."

Now he looked just as irritated as she felt. "A date with whom?"

"Do you really need to know that?"

"I'm just curious."

"His name is Will Turner."

"What does he do?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Really, James? People are more than where they work, you know."

He shrugged. "Still just curious."

Elizabeth looked away from him, turning back to her book. "If you must know, he's a blacksmith."

"A _what_?"

She glared at him. "A blacksmith. Is that a problem?" She had a suspicion that he was struggling not to laugh.

"No," he said finally. "Not at all." He turned to leave, a faint smirk just noticeable on his face. "Have a nice date. With your _blacksmith_."

Elizabeth watched him go, frowning. She knew he wasn't a bad person, not really. He tended to place a little too much value on people's careers and how much money they made, perhaps, but once you got to know him, he was really quite nice.

Elizabeth, quite simply, was not interested in him. At all. She knew full well that her father had been hoping to pair them up for the last few years, but try as she might, she simply could not bring herself to fancy James Norrington.

* * *

"I heard you have a date on Saturday."

The familiar feeling of annoyance returned. "I suppose I can guess who told you that."

Elizabeth's father came into the room, sat down on a chair nearby. "James merely mentioned that you had turned him down because you've been… previously engaged."

Elizabeth didn't even look up from her book. "That's right."

"Elizabeth."

She finally looked up at him, wondering why he sounded almost worried.

"James tells me that the man is a blacksmith."

"Yes."

"How, may I ask, is it possible for one to support oneself in that profession in the twenty-first century?"

Elizabeth turned back to her book, carefully keeping her voice neutral. "He makes swords. Other things, too, but mostly swords. They're very impressive. He's quite talented."

"Is he."

"Mm-hm."

"Elizabeth – "

She looked up at him again, her eyes flashing angrily. "Do _not_ try to tell me that you don't want me to go out with him. I am twenty-three years old, and I can date whomever I choose."

"I merely feel that James is perhaps more suitable – "

"_Father_," Elizabeth interrupted. "Stop. I am going to dinner with William Turner, and that's final."

* * *

When Will finally found the courage to set foot in the Pearl, he was hoping that he would, at the very least, get Jack to apologize for telling everyone and their brother about the words that he was now wishing had never come out of his mouth. At best, maybe he could convince Jack to tell everyone that it wasn't true. Unlikely. Luckily, the place was empty when he arrived.

"Hey, Jack..."

"'ey, mate. You doin' anything' tomorrow?"

"Yeah, in the evening. Why?"

"We need another man fer our football team. Game's at one. You in?"

Will shrugged. "Yeah, sure. But look, I need to talk to you about – "

"Wait jus' one minute," Jack interrupted. "Wha' d'ya mean yer busy in th' evenin'?"

"I'm allowed to be busy."

"No yer bloody well not!" Jack laughed. "When yer not workin', yer never busy, an' I know you don' work in th' evenings."

"All right, fine... I have a – a date."

Jack stared. "A_ date? You?_" A huge grin spread across his face. "It's tha' girl, innit? Th' one yer gonna _marry_."

Will did his best to ignore the jibe. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Did you really have to tell _everyone_ – "

"Yes."

"_Why?"_

"'cause it's th' stupidest thing you've ever said, mate."

"I hate you, Jack."

"Love you too, kid. So where're you takin' this girl?"

"That's none of your business."

"I'm hurt."

Will got up to leave. "_Goodbye_, Jack. See you tomorrow at one."

"Don' ferget!" Jack called after him.

Will could hear him laughing.

* * *

Sincerest apologies to Norrington fans. But in my defense, I did say that he's not a bad person. Please don't hate me! And in other news... you would not _believe _how long it take me to figure out how to spell 'flirtatiously.'


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He was going to be late. He glanced at the time on his phone. He was _so_ going to be late.

No, scratch that. He was _not_ going to be late. He was not going to _let_ himself be late, because Elizabeth was amazing, and he really, really liked her, and he wanted her to like him, and –

And who was he kidding? Of course he was going to be late. Because, thanks to Jack Sparrow, Will had almost never been on time for anything in his entire life. According to Will's father, nine-year-old Jack had made a bet with him that Will would be born late, and, lo-and-behold, Will was born ten days after his due date. And things had never changed.

He was going to kill Jack if he was late. Seriously. He could make it look like an accident.

His phone began to vibrate, emitting a series of irritating, high-pitched beeps. He glanced at the time again as he turned off the alarm. _Shit_. The alarm had been set for the latest possible time that he could leave his apartment and still meet Elizabeth on time.

There were going to be consequences for this, i.e., Jack would not live to see the morning. Or, at the very least, he would owe Will several free meals at the Pearl. One or the other.

Three minutes later, Will left the apartment at a dead sprint, came back for his wallet, then left again, jumping several flights of stairs on his way down. If he took a shortcut – and broke the speed limit by a semi-significant amount in several places – he might just make it on time.

* * *

Elizabeth stood on the street corner next to the garage where she had parked her car. She double-checked the street signs, making sure that this was, in fact, where she was supposed to meet Will. It was the right place. She glanced at her watch. It was also the right time: five-thirty, on the dot. If he didn't arrive in the next forty-four seconds, she could tease him for being late.

A motorcycle rumbled faintly on a nearby street, the sound becoming gradually louder. A few seconds later, it came into view at the end of the road, coming toward her. She watched it with interest. It looked rather old, as if it had been restored. She rather liked it. Then as it drew nearer it began to slow, and to her great surprise, as it turned into the parking garage, she saw that the rider was none other than Will. She grinned broadly at him, first because she loved the bike, and then because a part of her mind couldn't help imagining the look on her father's face if she brought home a boy with a motorcycle.

Will walked out of the garage just a few seconds later, his black helmet tucked under his arm. He smiled at her. She loved that smile. _Really_ loved it.

"Well, did I make it on time?"

She glanced at her watch again. "I'm afraid you're seven seconds late."

Will laughed at her sincerity. "Sorry."

"I'll forgive you this time," Elizabeth grinned. "But only because I like your ride."

"Yeah? That's surprising. Most girls think it looks like junk."

"It's not junk, it's… vintage."

Will smiled appreciatively. "I restored it myself."

Elizabeth shook her head, still grinning. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"Dunno," Will shrugged, "I might run out eventually. You'll have to stick around long enough to see." He blushed slightly as Elizabeth giggled. "So, uh… do you want to go, then?"

"Sure," Elizabeth said lightly. "But you know, you still haven't actually told me _where_ we're going."

"I know. You'll see."

* * *

Elizabeth had judged by the direction and distance she'd driven that they were somewhere close to the Thames, but she hadn't realized just how close. Will led her down a side street until they came to a row of plain, redbrick storefronts.

"In here," Will said, nodding toward a small doorway. A simple plaque above it read, 'Riverview.' Will held the wooden door open for Elizabeth, then took the lead again, moving down a short, brick passageway with a an arched ceiling. Elizabeth gasped as they reached the end of it.

They had stepped into a long, brick room. The wall opposite them was made almost entirely of enormous windows that looked out over the Thames. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling along the center of the room, and each table was covered in navy blue and supplied with two or three flickering candles. The whole place was fantastically romantic.

Will was watching Elizabeth's reaction, a small smile on his face. "So what do you think?"

"This is… amazing. I mean, this is _really_ amazing."

Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw an unmistakable flash of relief cross Will's face, and only then did she realize just how nervous he was. She knew he had brought her here in the hopes of impressing her, and she was, indeed, impressed. She couldn't have dreamed up a better place for a first date.

She turned to Will with a warm, genuine smile. "This is perfect."

* * *

"How long have we been here?"

"Um… about two hours, I think. Maybe two and a half."

"I think they're getting annoyed with us."

"Maybe a little, yeah." Will all but held his breath. "We could, maybe, go for a walk – if you want…"

"That sounds nice," Elizabeth answered quickly.

Outside it was cool, but not uncomfortably so. They wandered slowly along the river's edge, occasionally passing other couples who had apparently had the same idea.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Elizabeth asked, "So how did you first find that place, anyway?"

"Probably the same way most people do," Will answered. "By accident."

Elizabeth laughed. "What on earth were you doing back here wandering into random buildings?"

Will looked slightly embarrassed. "All right, if you must know, my bike broke down. I had no idea where I was, but I saw a couple people go in there, so I followed them to look for help."

"Did you find any?"

"Yes, actually. There was a kid there who was working part-time as a mechanic."

"That's lucky."

"Mm-hm."

They lapsed into silence again, continued to walk at a leisurely pace. After a short while, Elizabeth was again the first to speak.

"When I first met you in your friend's bar, you said you two were roommates once."

"Yeah…"

Elizabeth was grinning. "You seem too… _normal_ to have been his roommate."

"You're subtly trying to find out more about me. About my past, that is," Will said, smiling.

"Maybe."

"You want the abridged story of my life, then?"

Elizabeth laughed quietly. "Sure. But I suppose after that you'll be wanting mine?"

"Naturally. All right, here goes… I wasn't born here, first of all. I used to live in Glasgow."

"You're secretly Scottish, then?" Elizabeth asked, grinning.

He grinned back at her. "I guess you could say that."

"You don't have any accent," she pointed out.

"I sort of grew out of it, I guess. It's been a long time since I lived there. It's been a long time since I've even visited there. Anyway – oh, my birthday is January 13, in case you were wondering. But, yeah, anyway, my dad used to travel a lot because of his work, so I guess he and my mom just sort of… grew apart, eventually. They divorced when I was three. Dad moved here to London, and I stayed in Scotland with Mum until she died when I was twelve."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said quietly.

Will nodded, continued with his story. "That's sort of where Jack comes in, I guess. He's nine years older than me, and he was good friends with my dad. I've been friends with him pretty much my entire life. So after Mum died, I was sent here to London to live with Dad, and… I was scared. I mean, he left when I was three, so I barely knew him. But do you know what Jack did?"

"What?"

"He came with me. He moved to London at the same time I did, to help me through it."

"Wow," Elizabeth said, impressed.

Will continued. "So I might say I want to kill him sometimes – okay, a lot of the time – but I really couldn't asked for a better friend. I mean, how many people do you think would have done that? He was twenty-one, he had a job, a nice apartment, he'd just bought himself a car… and then at the drop of a hat, he packed up and moved to London, just so a twelve-year-old kid wouldn't feel so alone."

Elizabeth looked sideways at him, noticed a rather faraway look in his eyes.

"Do you miss Scotland?"

"Sometimes." He shrugged. "A lot of the time. We lived in the country; I liked it a lot better than the city. But still, my shop is here, and I wouldn't want to leave that for anything."

"You said your dad bought it for you?"

"When I was sixteen," Will said, nodding.

"_Sixteen?_"

He laughed. "Sounds kind of ridiculous, doesn't it? He still had to travel a lot, and one summer he had to go down to the Caribbean for a could weeks, so he took me with him. I met this guy down there, and he started teaching me how to make swords and all kinds of other stuff. After we got back, I convinced Dad that I'd loved it and wanted to give it a shot. He bought me the shop and got me started, then signed it over to me when I turned eighteen. Within a year, I'd made enough both to pay him back and share an apartment with Jack."

"That's… impressive."

"Thanks," Will grinned. "It was easier than it sounds. I just… fell in love with it, in a way. I was doing something I loved, and I never wanted to stop, and before I knew it I had a customer base and an awful lot of sales. I'd even supplied the prop swords for a couple of movies." He laughed. "The first one was just about a year after I opened the shop. You should've seen the looks on their faces when they realized that the London blacksmith they'd heard so much about was seventeen years old."

"I can see how that might come as a bit of a shock," Elizabeth laughed.

Will turned to face her. "Well, Miss Swann… you now know the somewhat-abridged version of the History of Will Turner, and that's more than enough about me. I want to hear about you."

Elizabeth mock-groaned. "I'm afraid the History of Elizabeth Swann isn't nearly as exciting. I've lived in London all my life. My father owns a chain of bookstores, and my mum was sort of his second-in-command, I guess you could say. She died when I was seven." She shrugged. "I don't really know what else to say."

"There's got to be more than that," Will coaxed. "Where do you work?"

"Nowhere as exciting as you. I work in a coffee shop."

Will stopped walking, moved to stand in front of her. "I refuse to accept that. Know why?"

"No. Why?"

"Because no one dreams about working in a coffee shop. I know you certainly don't want to work there for your entire life."

"No…"

"Then tell me what you _want_ to do. What's your dream? A girl like you, I know you've got a dream job. There's something you want to do, something you're _going_ to do someday. You just haven't quite made it there yet."

"My dream job?" Elizabeth said pensively. "You know, no one's ever asked me that before."

"Well… I'm asking now. What is it that you want to do more than anything else?"

"My dream job…" Elizabeth said again. "All right… I – I want to be an architect."

Will grinned. "Now that's more like it."

Elizabeth couldn't help smiling back at him. "I love designing things. I want to be able to design them and see them actually built."

"So what's the problem?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Miss Elizabeth, is why haven't you done it yet?"

Elizabeth looked away from him. "I don't know. I guess mostly because of my father. He thinks that someday he's going to hand the company over to me, and then I'll spend the rest of my working life happily sitting in an office, making decisions about what sort of coffee we should serve in our stores, and whether or not we should open a new store at this or that location, and whatever else the owner of a bookstore chain does." She frowned. "I don't know how to tell him that that's not what I want."

"Very gently."

Elizabeth laughed. "Seriously, though. He has no idea what I want to do. I've always been afraid of disappointing him."

"Elizabeth," Will said softly, looking her in the eye, "if your father loves you half as much as a father should, he won't be disappointed. There is no doubt in my mind that you can be a great architect. Your father will be proud of you. I promise."

Elizabeth was standing so close he could smell her perfume. She was outstanding. There was no other word for it. And damn, was she beautiful.

"Elizabeth?" he said quietly.

"What?"

"Have you ever kissed someone on a first date before?"

"Honestly… no."

"Me neither." He wondered if she could hear his heart pounding. "Would you want to?"

She'd never kissed anyone on a first date before because she'd because she's never been fortunate enough to date anyone that she'd like enough to want to kiss them. But Will was different. Will was _amazing_.

"Yes."

* * *

So Will and Elizabeth have officially been on their first date! I absolutely loved writing this. They're just so darn cute :)

And, by the way, I decided that Will lived in Scotland because, according to Wikipedia, he was actually born in Glasgow, then he and his mother moved to England when he was young. I had them stay in Scotland because his dad was going to move to England, so there had to be some kind of big, unsettling move for Will after his mother died.

What you might take away from this is that I have actually read the entire (rather lengthy) Wikipedia article on Will Turner. Don't judge. I like him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Well?"

"Well what?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "_Well_, how'd yer date go las' night?"

"Fine."

"Gonna have t' give me more'n 'at if you don' wanna pay fer tha' beer, mate."

Will made a face. "Fine. We met at the restaurant, we had dinner, we went for a walk, we talked, we kissed, I walked her back to her car, we went home. Separately," he added, just in case.

"You ride yer bike?"

"Yeah."

"She laugh a' you an' call it a piece o' junk?"

"Why would she do that?"

"'Cause it's a piece o' junk, mate."

"No it's not. And no, she didn't. Actually, she liked it."

"_Really?_" Jack said incredulously. "So what's wrong with 'er, then?"

Will glared at him. "What?"

"She's seen yer shop, she's seen yer bike, an' she _still_ wants t' go out wi' you? Something's obviously wrong with 'er."

"There's nothing wrong with her, Jack."

"You should let 'er see yer apartment. If that doesn' turn 'er off you, nothin' will."

"What's wrong with my apartment?" Will asked defensively.

"It's two rooms covered in black-an'-white photos."

"So? I like photography. What's wrong with that?"

Jack just shook his head. "Yeh got no money."

"I could get a bigger place if I wanted one. I'm just happy where I am, is all."

Jack snorted. "Good luck tellin' 'er that. 'ow much money 'as she got?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know. She works in a coffee shop – "

"Tha's not too bad, then – "

" – but her dad owns a chain of bookstores," Will finished lamely.

"A _chain?_" Jack said, laughing. "Yer screwed, mate!"

"Shut up, Jack."

"If she's th' girl yer gonna marry, you'd better 'ope 'er dad's payin' fer th' wedding!" Jack continued to laugh.

Will turned bright red. "Shut up."

* * *

Elizabeth was beginning to think that it might be time to find another place besides the sunroom to read.

_Why is it_, she wondered, _that when someone is reading, other people assume that they won't mind being interrupted?_ She glanced up at her current source of irritation, James Norrington.

"Did you hear me, Elizabeth?"

She sighed. "Yes. Is it really any of your business how my date went last night?"

He shrugged. "I'm just looking out for you."

_That's not really your business either,_ Elizabeth thought, frowning. But all she said was, "It went very well."

"Where did you go?"

She felt the irritation flare up again. "A restaurant. Riverview."

"I've never heard of it."

"It was nice."

"Uh-huh." He hesitated for a moment. "And what about this… Will Turner? What did you think of him?"

She wanted nothing more than to yell at him to go away and leave her alone, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. "I liked him. Quite a lot, actually."

"Did you kiss him?"

The impertinence of the question burst the dam of her self-restraint. She glared angrily at him. "Yes, I did. And yes, I enjoyed it, to save you the trouble of asking. Do you want to ask me anything else that isn't any of your business?"

James looked startled at her outburst. "No." He hesitated in the doorway for a moment, as if he was trying to think of something to say. But then, without a word, he turned and left.

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, wondering with some trepidation exactly how much of this conversation would reach her father's ears.

Her phone rang. She glanced down at the number on the screen and smiled in surprise. It was Will.

"Hello," she said happily as she answered the call.

"Hi." He sounded rather hesitant. "Is it crazy to call someone the day after a first date?"

"Maybe a little. But honestly… I'm glad you did," Elizabeth admitted.

"Is everything okay?"

Her heart warmed at the obvious concern in his voice. "It's fine, it's just…" She suddenly realized that she needed to see him again, to talk to him in person. He was so wonderfully easy to talk to. "Can – can I see you again sometime? Soon?"

"Sure. When?"

She crossed her fingers, hoped she didn't sound too needy. "Tonight?"

"Oh. Wow. Um, okay. I can do that. You know, you'd better be careful. People might think you like me or something."

She could hear the smile in his voice, and she laughed gratefully. She loved that he could make her laugh like that. "Is six okay?"

"Sure. Want me to pick you up? I've got a spare helmet."

"Are you offering to take me for a motorcycle ride the day after our first date, Mr. Turner?"

"I am. You seem like the adventurous type, Miss Swann."

She had to laugh again. "All right, why not? You be here at six, and I'll try to make sure my father doesn't have a heart attack when he sees your bike."

"Sounds good. I'll see you tonight, I guess."

"See you then."

"Bye, Elizabeth."

"Bye."

Five minutes later, her phone rang for a second time, and, to her surprise, it was Will again.

"Hello."

"Hi…" he said sheepishly. "I, uh… I need your address."

* * *

I know this one is pretty short and not a whole lot happens. I guess it's just sort of a bridge chapter. The next one's right back to the adorable fluffiness you know and love, I promise :)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

When Will slid off of his bike at six o'clock that evening and stood at the end of Elizabeth's driveway, staring up at her house, his only thought was that he desperately hoped he had the wrong address. He glanced at the elegant, decorative numbers that adorned the brick pillars flanking the mouth of the drive. It was the right house.

"Oh, shit."

"What's wrong?"

Will jumped involuntarily. He hadn't even noticed that Elizabeth was standing next to him. "I – you – which bookstore chain, exactly, does your father own?"

"Er… W.S.&Co. Books."

Will paled visibly. "Shit."

Elizabeth moved to stand in front of him, doing her best to block his view of the house. "Will, what's the matter?"

"That's the biggest chain in the UK!"

"So?"

"_So?_" Will repeated incredulously. "You – you're rich! You're _filthy _rich! You're high society, or – or – or whatever the hell you call filthy rich people!"

"What's your point, Will?"

"I'm a _blacksmith!_ Your father probably makes five times my yearly salary in a month! _Shit_."

"Will – hey, Will! Stop looking at the house. Okay? Look at me. There you go. Now listen carefully, because this is important. I do not care how much money my father makes. I do not care how much money you make – "

"I live in a _two-room apartment_ – "

"_Will_. I don't care if you live in _one_ room. I hate this house. Heck, _I_ wouldn't mind living in one room if it got me out of here. Okay?"

"I – maybe? Are you serious?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth laughed. "I couldn't care less about money and society. I _hate_ society. All that matters right now is that I like you… a lot. Okay?"

"O-okay…" He glanced up at the house again, let out a nervous laugh. "Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?"

He looked back down at her, gave her a crooked smile. "I like you, too. A lot."

* * *

Riding on the back of Will's motorcycle was exciting, to say the least. Actually, it was downright exhilarating. Elizabeth loved the speed, the rush of cool air. Will had taken it slow at first, obviously not sure how she would feel about it, but once he heard her laughing he had begun to speed up, zipping down nearly empty side streets and weaving through traffic in places where the main roads couldn't be avoided. After about ten minutes or so, Elizabeth felt completely at her ease, but nonetheless, she refused to relinquish her tight grip on Will. With her arms around his waist, she could easily feel his abs beneath his shirt and jacket. His wonderfully defined abs.

At last they began to slow, gradually coming to a stop in front of the entrance to a public park.

"Is this good?" Will asked her over his shoulder.

"It's great," she answered, smiling.

As they slid off the bike, Will glanced sideways at her. "You weren't scared, were you?"

"Not at all."

"You were holding on awfully tight," he pointed out.

She smiled at him briefly, then turned away and began walking toward the park. "That was for… other reasons."

"Oh…" He sounded confused.

She glanced back at him over her shoulder, grinning mischievously. "You coming, Muscles?"

"Wha – _oh_." He jogged after her, red-faced.

She laughed softly at him as he caught up with her. "You're cute. I bet you don't even work out, do you?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "I run sometimes. But it's mostly my work. And I do play football every once in a while."

"You any good?"

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'm good enough to kick Jack's ass when the guys don't put us on the same team, and that's all that really matters, right?"

Elizabeth laughed.

"Mind you, they usually don't put us on the same team, because they know that if they let us play together, no one else will ever get the ball," he said, smiling. "We've known each other a long time. It might not seem like it, but we're a good team."

"I wish I had someone like that," Elizabeth said wistfully.

Will turned toward her in surprise. "You don't have a best friend?"

"Not really," Elizabeth shook her head. "My father sent me to this tiny little private school. I never really liked anyone there much. Only rich families could afford it, so there wasn't a single girl there who wasn't used to getting their own way and having their daddy buy them everything they wanted. I couldn't stand any of them. And I told them as much."

"So what did you do when you were lonely? When you wanted a friend to talk to?"

"When I was little, I would talk to my mother. But after she died… I didn't really talk to anyone. I'd just read books."

"What kind of books?"

"Old ones. I absolutely loved _Pride and Prejudice_. All that romance," she smiled. "I always wanted to find my Mr. Darcy."

"So I bet you're one of those girls who's had her wedding planned since the edge of ten," Will teased.

"Nine," Elizabeth countered, smiling. "But it's changed a lot since then."

They walked in silence for a short while, until Will pointed out an old, gnarled tree a little ways off of their path. "Want to sit down?"

"Sure."

As soon as they reached the tree, Will tumbled down onto the grass, stretching out on his back. Elizabeth laughed and sat next to him, leaning against the broad trunk.

"Are you just going to lay there, then?" Elizabeth grinned.

Looking at her upside-down, Will shrugged, pushed himself upright. Then, suddenly serious, he asked, "So what's wrong? You sounded upset when I called you earlier."

Elizabeth plucked a few blades of grass, twisting them between her fingers. "I didn't tell you _everything_ about me yesterday. There's something I left out. _Someone_." She frowned, still looking at the grass rather than at Will. "His name is James Norrington. He works closely with my father, so he's at the house a lot. And my father has spent the last three years trying to make me fall in love with him." She sounded distinctly annoyed. "It's not that I hate him. He's not _exactly_ like the rich girls at that school. He's just… dull. He always wants to talk about work, and he never does anything _exciting_. I'm just not interested in him, but my father refuses to see it."

"Was he there when I called, then?"

"He'd just left. He knew I'd been on a date so he kept asking questions about where we'd gone and what we'd done… he asked me if I'd kissed you, for crying out loud!" She sounded upset.

On an impulse, Will reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. His hands were rough and calloused. She rather liked the feeling.

"Sometimes I wish I could just tell him to go away, she said quietly. "I hate that he thinks he has any right to know everything that goes on in my life." She sighed, brushed some hair off of her face in agitation. "I want to leave. I just want to get away, go somewhere where I can be on my own, independent, without James, or even my father, or… or any of it. I want to _leave_."

"Then leave," Will said simply.

"What?"

"You've got a job; you can support yourself. You told me earlier that you'd live in one room if that was what it took to get away. So get your own place. Live on your own, and do what you want."

"Live on my own?" Elizabeth said quietly, uncertainly.

"Independent. The way you want."

Elizabeth smiled weakly. "There's just one problem."

"What's that?"

"I can't cook."

Will laughed, squeezed her hand. "I'll teach you."

Elizabeth laughed as well, rather nervously. "I must be crazy. A guy I've known for a week just told me I should pack up and move out of the house I've lived in for eighteen years, and I'm actually going to do it." She looked at Will, who had stood up, brushing himself off. "_Is_ that crazy?"

"Maybe a little," he admitted, holding out a hand to pull her up. "But then again… so is this."

"So is wha – "

She was interrupted by the answer to her question. As soon as she was off the ground, Will, rather than releasing her hands, instead pulled her toward him and kissed her hard. Much harder than he had the day before. Elizabeth's surprise lasted only a second, and before she was even quite sure of what was happening, she was kissing him back with equal enthusiasm.

When the need for air finally forced them apart, Elizabeth grinned up at Will, standing close enough that she could feel his heart racing.

"You're right. That _was_ crazy."

"Sorry…" Will said sheepishly, trying to take a step back.

Elizabeth grabbed the front of his shirt, pulled him back toward her. "Well I didn't say you shouldn't do it again, did I?"

Will wondered if it was possible for a combination of shock, adrenaline, and head-over-heels love to make someone explode. He certainly felt lightheaded enough as he held Elizabeth against him, his fingers winding through her long , golden-brown hair as he kissed her.

He felt something bump against his foot. Reluctantly pulling away from Elizabeth, he looked down at the offending object.

_Uh-oh_.

It was a football.

Elizabeth watched in confusion as his gaze travelled slowly upward from the ball at their feet, his face becoming steadily redder by the second. Then she realized what he was looking at, and suddenly understood exactly why.

Jack Sparrow stood not too far away, in the middle of a group of young man wearing makeshift football uniforms, smirking as if this was the funniest thing he'd ever seen.

"Oh, shit," Will muttered nervously.

Still smirking, Jack said cheerfully, "You sure wha' you two're doin' righ' now's legal in public places, mate?"

Will glared as the rest of the team laughed.

"I'm guessin' you fergot we play football 'ere ev'ry Sunday, then?"

Will glanced apologetically at Elizabeth. "Yeah… sorry."

She giggled somewhat guiltily, wrapped her arms just a little tighter around him.

"So…" Will said finally. "We could, uh… leave, then…"

"We're a man short again," Jack said. "You in or out?"

Smiling, Elizabeth nudged Will lightly. "Go on. I want to see you play."

Will shrugged out of his jacket. "All right, fine." He grinned fiercely. "You're on, Sparrow. And you're _not_ getting this ball back."

* * *

"Well, you were right," Elizabeth said with a smile as she swung off of Will's bike at her drive two hours later. "You never did let him have the ball back."

Will laughed. "I've never seen him so pissed off. That's the first time in years that he hasn't even come close to scoring a goal."

Elizabeth laughed, until she looked up at the house and her smile faded. "I don't want to go home right now. But I guess I should. I'm not moving out just yet." She looked up at Will, eyes shining in the faint light. "Thank you for listening. I really needed that."

Will pulled her to him and hugged her, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I know."

She hugged him back tightly, wondering how it was possible that she could feel so wonderfully comfortable in the arms of a man she had only known for a week.

"You can call me anytime, you know," Will said, releasing her and stepping back just enough to see her face. "If you're upset, or lonely, or you just want someone to talk to. Even if it's the middle of the night. I mean it," he said earnestly.

"That's sweet," Elizabeth smiled. She kissed him softly. "Goodnight, Will."

"'Night."

Will stood there at the end of her driveway, leaning against his bike and watching as she walked slowly toward the house. When she reached the front door, she turned back and waved once, then disappeared inside. Will swung onto his bike and drove slowly away, barely seeing the road in front of him as he remembered the feeling of her lips pressed against his.

* * *

I think that was my longest chapter yet! To quote Agnes from Despicable Me: "IT'S SO FLUFFY, I'M GONNA DIE!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

~Two Years Later~

When Elizabeth walked into Will's shop at five-thirty in the evening, her first impression was a strong sense of déjà vu. The front room looked much the same as it had the first time she'd seen it two years earlier. The walls were still the same shade of dark blue, at the moment stained purple by the ruddy light of the setting sun that shone through the front windows. Soft overhead lights gave the room a warm glow, casting a yellowish reflection on the three long, glass display cases. Most of the swords on the walls were different, the originals having been long since sold and replaced by the ones she saw now. Will's favorite sword was still there, though, its gold inlay shining as brightly as it always had.

But the thing that made the scene most familiar to Elizabeth was William Turner himself, fast asleep, his head resting on his arms on top of one of the display cases.

Elizabeth walked over to him, leaned against the other side of the case, looking down at him. He was so cute when he was asleep. He always looked so young and peaceful. Reaching down, she gently brushed his dark curls back off of his face, smiling as she leaned over and kissed him lightly.

He shifted slightly in his sleep, slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at Elizabeth.

"Hey, you," she whispered, kissing him again. "Long day?"

He sat up, rolling his head from side to side until his neck cracked. "Longest day ever. I don't think I've ever done so much in eleven hours."

"Eleven?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You told me you were coming in at eight!"

"Oh, er… I changed my mind, I guess."

"Are you saying you've been here since six o'clock this morning?"

Will nodded exhaustedly. "I had to finish all of those orders. I just finished…" He glanced at his watch. "…half an hour ago."

"Poor thing. No wonder you're so tired," Elizabeth said sympathetically.

Will nodded again, ran his fingers through his hair. "So how'd everything go?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Great. Jack and Ana were a huge help." She pulled a key out of her pocket. "I am now officially moved into my second apartment." She grinned. "Three whole rooms this time. It's great."

Will mock-groaned. "I'm jealous. That means you live in a bigger place than I do now."

Elizabeth laughed. "Sorry. Do you want to see it?"

"Absolutely. But I hope you brought your car, because I'm certainly not driving right now."

"It's right outside."

They stepped out of the door, and immediately a blast of freezing air assailed them. Shivering, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Will and stuck her hands in his jacket pockets as he fumbled with his keys, trying to lock the door in the cold. He looked back at her over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised.

"A little cold, are we?"

"I forgot my gloves," Elizabeth grinned, pressing closer against him.

"Ah." Finally managing to lock the door, Will slipped an arm around Elizabeth, holding her against his side until they made it into her car, turning the heat as far up as it could go.

"I can't believe how cold it is!" Elizabeth exclaimed, rubbing her hands together.

"They said on the news this morning that this is the coldest winter Britain's had in fifteen years."

"Ugh." Elizabeth cupped her hands over her nose, trying to warm her face. "At least it's snowing yet."

"It looks like it's going to, though," Will said, glancing up at a heavily overcast sky. "We'd better get going before it does."

Elizabeth nodded, pulling away from the curb. A little ways down the road, she turned to Will to say something, and saw that he was leaning against the window, already nodding off. "Hey, Will," she said quietly, shaking his arm.

He opened his eyes. "Huh?"

"Are you sure you want to do this now? I can take you home, and you can come see the apartment tomorrow."

Will shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "No, I'm okay. I want to see it now." He stifled a yawn. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you move."

"You've said that about ten times," Elizabeth laughed. "It's okay, really. I know you had to work." A few snowflakes drifted down and melted on the windshield. "Uh-oh. Aren't we supposed to get a huge snowstorm tonight?"

"Mm-hm." Will grinned at her. "Looks like I might be sleeping on your brand-new couch tonight."

It was just beginning to snow in earnest as they reached Elizabeth's new apartment building and ducked inside the lobby.

"Nice timing," Will remarked as they watched the thick, white flakes swirl against the glass.

"Looks like you're definitely staying here tonight," Elizabeth the flurries quickly escalated toward a full whiteout. She squeezed Will's hand. "Come on. Let's go upstairs."

They walked up two flights of stairs together, hand in hand, Elizabeth's small fingers intertwined with Will's rough, calloused ones. When they arrived at her door, she unlocked it with her left so she wouldn't have to let go.

"Well… what do you think?"

Will looked around, grinning. "I think this is pretty nice." He pulled Elizabeth against his chest his chest, hugging her tightly. "So are you glad you listened to me two years ago when I said you should get your own place?"

Elizabeth squeezed him back, leaning into his hug. "Absolutely." She kissed him briefly. "Can I show you around?"

"Sure," Will smiled, loving her obvious excitement.

The apartment was nice. Nicer, in fact, than Will's own apartment. The door opened into a comfortable living room with a matching pale blue sofa and armchair. There was a coordinating throw rug spread out on the floor, and on the walls, Will noticed with a grin, were some of his very own black-and-white photos, one of which showed himself and Elizabeth curled up on a picnic blanket in the middle of the park where Jack had caught them making out the day after their first date. A couple of end tables with small lamps completed the scene.

The kitchen adjoined the living room. It had a fridge, a fairly new over, and plenty of cupboards and counter space. It wasn't particularly large, but neither was it small enough to be uncomfortable. Will could easily imagine himself helping Elizabeth make dinner in it.

A door in the living room led into an equally comfortable bedroom with a sizeable closet and another door leading into a surprisingly roomy bathroom. Almost all of the space in the bedroom that wasn't taken up by Elizabeth's bed and nightstand was cluttered with boxes.

"I haven't quite finished unpacking yet," Elizabeth said, "but you can help me with that tomorrow."

Will gave her a tired smile, stifling another yawn. Elizabeth took his hand, pulled him back out into the living room. He flopped down exhaustedly onto the couch. Elizabeth sat next to him, playing with his curls.

"I think I'll make tea. Do you want some?"

Will shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "No, that's all right. The last thing I need right now is caffeine."

Elizabeth pressed a kiss to his cheek, then got up and went into the kitchen to boil some water. "Make yourself at home," she called back over her shoulder. There was no answer. Curious, she went back into the living room, walking around the couch to look at Will. She laughed quietly. He had kicked off his boots, leaned back, and immediately fallen asleep. She shook her head, smiling.

"Oh, Will, you ridiculous boy." She sat next to him, running her fingers through his hair. "William," she said softly, smiling as he blinked up at her.

"Hmm?"

"I see you managed to get your boots off before you fell asleep," she teased.

"You told me to make myself at home," he answered sleepily.

Elizabeth giggled. His sleepy voice was undoubtedly the most adorable thing ever. "Lay down," she whispered gently.

He slid sideways, stretching out as she slipped a pillow under his head.

"I love you, Will."

"Love you, too," he answered faintly.

Smiling, Elizabeth pulled a blanket down from the back of the couch and covered him with it as he drifted off.

* * *

The next morning, Elizabeth was curled up in her armchair sipping coffee when there was a knock at the door. She got up and opened it, pleasantly surprised to see Anamaria.

"Ana! What are you doing here?"

"I know you didn't finish unpacking yesterday, so I braved the snowy roads to see if you wanted some help. And I brought breakfast," she added, holding up two paper bags with a grin.

"That's great, thanks!" Elizabeth said happily, stepping aside so Ana could come in.

Ana smiled when she noticed the lone occupant of Elizabeth's couch. "I just knew he'd be here. I even brought enough breakfast for him."

Elizabeth leaned over the back of the couch, looking fondly down at her peacefully sleeping boyfriend. "I picked him up from work last night so I could show him the apartment. It had started to snow by the time we got here, and then he fell asleep, so…" She shrugged, smiling. "Here he is."

"Long day at work yesterday, I'm guessing?" Ana said with a smile.

"It certainly sounds that way," Elizabeth said. "He was completely exhausted."

"I know how to wake him up," Ana said, grinning. She grabbed one of the bags she'd brought and opened it, letting a delicious smell fill the room.

Almost immediately, Elizabeth saw Will's eyelids flutter, and in a sleepy voice he said, "Bagels?"

She let out a snort of laughter as he blinked innocently up at her.

"What's so funny?"

"That works on Jack, too," Ana said, sounding amused. She shook her head. "Boys."

Will sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I came to help Elizabeth unpack." She watched his eyes wander down to the bag of bagels in her hand. "Oh, for goodness' sake. Here." She reached into the bag, tossed him a warm bagel.

Will grinned. "You're an angel."

"Hey!" Elizabeth laughed. "She brings you food, and suddenly _she's_ an angel?"

"Uh, right…" Will said, quickly swallowing a mouthful. "Ana, you're just a saint. The position of angel has been filled." He shrugged, grinning. "Sorry."

Ana shook her head again, pretending to be upset. "I've been demoted."

* * *

I thought it was time for things to move forward a little faster, so I utilized the magic of time travel. Between Doctor Who, Back to the Future, and Lost, I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the field ;)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Will couldn't remember a time when he had been happier than this. His relationship with Elizabeth was so good, so _right_, so… perfect. He wanted to marry her. He had dreamed of what it would be like to marry her since the day he'd met her, but this was different. This was _real_. He wanted to propose to her and marry her; he wanted to move in with her and start a family with her. Unfortunately, it seemed that the more he thought about it, the more issues he found. For example, in the two years that they had been dating, he had never once met her father. He had seen him from a distance on a few occasions when he had gone to pick up Elizabeth before she moved into her own apartment, and every time he couldn't help but think that the man was standing there glaring at him, hating the fact that his daughter was dating a motorcycle-riding, middle-class blacksmith. Will had absolutely no desire whatsoever to find out whether or not this theory was true.

Another problem that he had found was a ring. He wanted her to have a nice ring – a really nice one – but that was something that he simply did not have the money for.

And then there was the third – and, admittedly, the biggest – problem: he still didn't know if she wanted to him to propose. He knew she loved him. But marriage was different. Marriage was _huge_. They had never talked about it, about what they would do if they got married, about whether or not they both wanted a family. He certainly hoped she wanted kids, because he wanted a whole house full. He knew they needed to talk about it, and preferably soon. Now what, exactly, was the best way to bring that up?

He was stretched out on her couch, and she was lying on her back on top of him, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Elizabeth?" he asked quietly, wondering if she had fallen asleep.

"Hm?"

"Do you – " And just like that, he lost his nerve. "What do you want to do for Christmas this year?" He mentally berated himself. _Shit, you're an idiot, Will Turner._

"I don't know," Elizabeth replied, playing with his fingers. "I want to spend Christmas with you this year. What were you going to do?"

"Probably drive out to my dad's, same as always. What about _your_ dad?"

"Maybe I could do Christmas Eve with him, and then Christmas Day with you. I want to meet your dad. And I certainly don't want to drag you off to meet _my_ dad on Christmas, of all days."

Will chuckled. "Thanks."

"I can call my dad now," Elizabeth offered, pulling out her phone. "What time do you usually leave for your dad's?"

"Around five in the evening, Christmas Eve."

Elizabeth nodded and dialed. "Hi, Dad. Listen, I was wondering… do you think we could get together on Christmas Eve this year? Maybe for lunch?" She listened for a moment. "Yes, I'm with Will."

Will winced nervously.

Elizabeth continued undeterred. "We've been dating for two years now, Dad. I want to spend Christmas with him… We're going to spend the day with his dad… I know you haven't met him yet, Dad, but I don't want to do that to him on Christmas… Because you're a little intimidating, Daddy… No, he's not _afraid_ of you – well, maybe a little…"

"Hey!" Will hissed, poking her lightly in the ribs.

She giggled. "So lunch on Christmas Eve, then?... Sure… I love you, too, Dad. Bye." She hung up. "It's settled. I'll have lunch with my dad on Christmas Eve, then spend Christmas Day with you."

"It'll be our first Christmas together," Will murmured into her hair.

She squeezed his hands. "Are you sure your dad won't mind having me there?"

"It'll be fine," Will reassured her. "I used to sleep on the floor every Christmas when I was little, waiting for Santa. I can do it again."

Elizabeth smiled, imagining a small boy with a mop of curly brown hair, curled up on the floor in front of a fireplace. "I bet you were adorable when you were little."

"I'm pretty sure my dad has all of my mum's old pictures of me. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to show them to you," Will said, rolling his eyes.

Elizabeth grinned. "I'll be sure to ask him."

They lapsed into silence, and after a few minutes, the deep, steady rise and fall of Will's chest under her told Elizabeth that he had dozed off. She looked down at their hands resting on her stomach, fingers entwined. She tried to imagine what it would be like to wear an engagement ring on her finger. She had been sure for so long now, knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that Will Turner was the man she wanted to marry. She wanted him to propose, but she just didn't know if he was ready yet. She didn't even know how he felt about kids.

She sighed quietly, listening to his easy breathing. She loved him with all her heart, and she always would… no matter how long it took him to be ready for commitment.

* * *

Jack couldn't help looking at Will curiously when he walked into the Pearl by himself on a Saturday afternoon.

"Hey, Jack."

"'ey, mate. Where's yer other half?"

"Christmas shopping with _your_ other half."

"Ahh." Jack watched his friend pick aimlessly at the multitude of scratches in the surface of the bar top. "All righ', I'll bite. Wha's th' matter with yeh?"

"What makes you think anything's – "

"I've known yeh yer entire life, boy. Yeh migh' think I never pay attention, bu' I know when somethin's wrong, believe it 'r not."

Will shrugged, still staring down at the scarred bar top, and muttered something unintelligible.

"Wha'?"

Will squirmed slightly on his stool. "I want to marry her, Jack."

Jack shook his head. "I knew it."

Will glared at him halfheartedly. "I'm serious. I want to marry her. I want a family with her."

Every part of Jack's nature wanted to heckle his friend mercilessly, but the look on Will's face somehow made him feel like he should be serious.

"So? Marry 'er, then."

"Does she want me to propose?" Will asked suddenly.

"'ow th' 'ell should I know?"

"Well, that's the problem, Jack. I don't know either. I'm afraid I'll scare her if I ask her… I don't want her to feel pressured to rush into anything."

Jack was quickly discovering that he didn't at all enjoy being serious. It was much too hard.

* * *

Grinning, Ana held up a hideous red sweater with a pattern of oddly-shaped reindeer trotting with strangely sickening cheerfulness across the front.

"What do you think, Liz, would Jack wear it?" She turned to her friend, saw that she was staring absentmindedly at a rack of jackets. "Liz? Hello? Earth to Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth snapped suddenly out of her reverie. "Huh?"

"I asked you if you thought Jack would wear this sweater."

"Maybe. But I'm sure it would involve you doing several very dirty things," Elizabeth joked halfheartedly.

Ana rolled her eyes. "All right, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"That was the most unconvincing 'nothing' I've ever heard. You're a terrible liar."

Elizabeth turned away, feigning interest in the jacket on the mannequin behind her. "I was just thinking about… you know… marriage and stuff."

Ana gasped. "Did Will _propose_?"

"Wha- no! Keep your voice down, would you? He didn't propose."

"Oh." Ana sounded extremely disappointed. "Why are you thinking about marriage, then?"

"Because… I _want_ him to propose," Elizabeth answered in a small voice.

The giant grin quickly returned to Ana's face. "Do you think he knows that?"

Elizabeth shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I don't know if he's ready for it yet. We've never actually talked about it."

"_Never?_" Ana said incredulously. "Geez, even Jack and I have at least _talked_ about it."

Elizabeth gave her a disbelieving look. "You're telling me that _Jack Sparrow_ talked about _marriage?_"

"Well… it was a one-sided conversation," Ana admitted.

"Thought so."

"But at least it came up!" Ana pressed. "At least he knows where we stand now! But you and Will… let's face it, everybody knows the two of you are going to end up married _someday_. I cannot believe that you've _never_ talked about it."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Sorry. But what should I do, though? Should I say anything to him?"

"You said yourself you don't know if he's ready."

"Yeah…"

"Well… you know how Will is. If you tell him that you want to marry him and he's not ready for it, he'll get all pale, then all red, then he'll start stuttering, then he won't know how to act or what to say around you…" She shook her head. "He's sort of like a puppy."

Elizabeth grinned reluctantly. "He is, a bit. But don't tell him I said that."

Ana laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

"Hey, Jack, guess what – "

"You'll never guess wha' Will came in 'ere an' said t'day."

Ana rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, your news first, then," she said, somewhat sarcastically. "Mine can wait."

"Tha' idiot boy came in 'ere an' tol' me tha' 'e wants t' marry 'lizabeth."

Ana stared. "_What?_"

"I'm jus' tellin' yeh wha' 'e said. 'e wants t' marry 'er, but 'e's not sure if she wants 'im t' ask 'er."

Ana was practically bursting with excitement. "He wants to marry her? Will actually _wants_ to marry her?"

"Tha's wha' 'e said," Jack shrugged. "What're you on?"

"I'm not on anything, Jack, I'm just excited!" She was nearly jumping up and down.

"Wha' on earth for?"

"Because _Elizabeth told me the exact same thing today!_" Ana revealed.

Jack just shook his head. "Idiots. Both of 'em."

"Wait!" Ana gasped suddenly. "Did Will say if he wants kids?"

"'e said somethin' 'bout startin' a family. Guess tha' means kids," Jack replied distastefully.

Ana looked like she was going to laugh and cry at the same time. "Jack, don't you see how perfect this is? They both want to get married, and they both want kids, but they don't know it yet and we do! We have to tell Will so he can propose – "

"Now wait jus' a minute!" Jack said, holding up his hands to stop her. "I don' think we should be tellin' 'em anythin'."

"What? Why not?"

"'cause couples are s'posed t' _talk_ 'bout these things, aren' they? Don' you think they'll be better off if we let 'em figure it out fer themselves? Tha' boy's gotta learn t' communicate sometime, don''e?"

Calmer now, Ana stared at him in surprise, her head tilted curiously to one side. "I think that may have been the most logical thing you've ever said, Jack."

"So I'm righ' then?"

Ana sighed. "I suppose so. But how long do you think it'll take for them to figure it out, though?"

"Knowing Will," Jack said, rolling his eyes, "'bout four years 'r so."

* * *

Ah, mysteries! Will it, in fact, take Will four years to propose? Or will Ana simply explode from excitement and tell them everything? Tune in next time to find out ;)

(But in the meantime... review?)


	10. Chapter 10

It's almost Christmas!

* * *

Chapter 10

Elizabeth arrived at Will's apartment from her father's house at exactly five minutes 'til five o'clock on Christmas Eve.

Will grinned as he let her in. "Nice timing." He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her so tightly that he actually lifted her a few inches off the floor. "Are you ready to spend Christmas together for the very first time?"

Elizabeth giggled against his shoulder. "So ready."

Will set her down and kissed her once more, softly.

"Ready to go?"

He picked up a duffel bag. "Ready."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand excitedly. "Let's get going, then."

* * *

When Elizabeth woke up, the clock on the dashboard read 7:45. Rubbing her neck, she turned to look curiously at Will.

"How long was I asleep?"

"An hour, I think. At least, that was when you started snoring," he teased. Then he added, "We're about fifteen minutes out."

"I do _not_ snore." Elizabeth stared out the window, peering at the darkened landscape. "Where are we?"

"The country," Will answered, smiling. "Haven't you ever been this far out of London before?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not really. We used to fly out to the coast for vacations, but we never just got in the car and drove like this."

Will smiled wistfully. "I grew up in a place like this. I loved it."

He was driving with only his right hand, so Elizabeth leaned over and took his left. "It must have been hard moving to the middle of London so suddenly."

Will nodded. "I hated it for a long time," he said quietly. "It was so crowded and noisy, and I just didn't know what to do with that. I think that's partly why it took me so long to be comfortable with my dad," he mused, half to himself. "I didn't understand how he could want to live in a place like that. Then I realized that he didn't really like it, either. That's why he moved out here after he retired."

Elizabeth smiled. "My country boy. You must have wished you could go with him."

"Yeah, I did," Will said, almost longingly. "But I already had my shop, and I was doing well for myself, so I stayed." He grinned suddenly. "Here we are." He slowed, brought the car to a stop in front of a small cottage.

Elizabeth got out of the car, rubbing her hands together in the cold as she looked up at the house. She absolutely loved it. Will watched her from the other side of the car, in love with her delighted smile and the way the white Christmas lights hanging from the front porch reflected in her eyes.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly.

Elizabeth turned away from the house, looking out at snow-covered fields and hills that stretched away as far as the eye could see. It was so quiet. She had assumed that she would find the lack of London's ever-present background noise unsettling, but on the contrary, she found it to be wonderfully peaceful.

"I think I love it."

Will grinned happily at her. "We'll make a country girl of you yet." He stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door, and immediately Elizabeth heard a muffled voice from inside the house.

"Coming!"

A few seconds later, the door swung open, and the first impression Elizabeth had of William Turner, Sr. was that he and his son were nearly identical. The only noticeable differences that she could see were mostly from age: Bill Turner had some lines on his face and streaks of grey in his hair at the temples. But other than that, the only other distinguishing feature between the two was their eyes: whereas Will's were the deepest brown, his father's were a clear, bright blue.

This was all Elizabeth had time to register, because almost as soon as the door was open, Bill had pulled his son into a bear hug, which Will returned, grinning.

"I miss you out here, kiddo."

"I know," Will answered. "I miss you, too, Dad."

When Elizabeth saw them both standing there side by side, she couldn't help staring at them. They were almost like twins. Twins with a twenty-or-so year age gap. Almost.

"I know what you're thinking," Bill said with a smile. "He has his mum's eyes, in case you were wondering."

"I – I was wondering."

Bill chuckled quietly. "You must be Elizabeth." He held out a hand, which she shook warmly. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," Elizabeth replied as she stepped inside and Bill closed the door behind her.

"Nothing too terrible, I hope," Bill said, glancing at his son with an almost apologetic look.

"Dad," Will said, quietly but firmly. "Don't. It's been a long time since I've felt like that."

Bill smiled gratefully. "You two can put those bags in the hall closet there, if you want. Dinner's almost ready."

"Since you've felt like what?" Elizabeth asked softly as she followed Will a short way down the hall.

Will glanced back at his father. He knew he could still hear them. "When I first moved to London to live with Dad, I was… angry. I was scared. I said a lot of things I didn't really mean." He shrugged. "It took a long time for me to get used to everything. For used to get used to being around each other."

As they came back out into the kitchen, Bill added, "It wasn't just Will who said things he didn't mean, either. I was scared, too. I mean, think about it," he said dryly. "Will turned thirteen just a couple months after he moved in with me. A father with no idea how to _be_ a father suddenly trying to raise a teenager? It's not exactly what you'd call a good combination."

"So… what happened?" Elizabeth asked. "Obviously you get along just fine now."

"That first year was the worst," Will said. "I spent a lot of time at Jack's place, just to get away. To try to forget that I was in London instead of Scotland. After that, though… I don't know. We just got used to the way things were, I guess."

Bill smiled slightly. "You could call the next couple of years after that a sort of uneasy truce, if you'd like."

"It was, a bit, yeah," Will agreed, grinning apologetically. "School made things a lot worse. Going from a sixth grade class of about forty kids to a seventh grade class of three hundred was downright awful."

"It didn't exactly help that you were half a foot shorter than you should've been , either," Bill chuckled.

Will made a face. "Thanks a lot, Dad."

"Aww," Elizabeth said, grinning. "You never told me you were short."

Will shrugged, reddening slightly. "I had a growth spurt the summer before sophomore year."

"Completely out of the blue, he grew seven inches in two months," Bill said. "None of his clothes fit."

Elizabeth giggled. "That's adorable."

"Yeah, right. It wasn't so adorable when the eighth graders decided that their new favorite pastime was 'Shove the Little Paisley Boy in a Locker,'" Will said darkly.

"You never told me that," Bill said in surprise.

Will shrugged. "I was fast."

Elizabeth laughed, squeezed Will's hand. "You're not just my country boy. You're my _Paisley_ country boy."

"Hey, come on! I'm not even from Paisley!"

"A mile outside of Paisley still counts as Paisley, kid," Bill laughed. "Your accent was Paisley all over."

Will gave up. "Fine." He glanced at Elizabeth. "You know, we should go to Scotland sometime. I could show you where I used to live. I haven't been there in thirteen years." He stared absentmindedly at the countertop that he was leaning on. "I wonder what it looks like now."

Elizabeth ran her fingers through his hair. "We'll go sometime." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I hope it still looks the same as you remember."

Will looked up at her with a wistful smile. "Yeah… me, too."

* * *

The living room was lit only by the colorful lights on the Christmas tree, and fluffy snowflakes were drifting peacefully past the frosted windows. Will was sitting on the couch with an arm around Elizabeth, who was curled up against him. Bill sat across from them in an armchair.

"So, Elizabeth… Will tells me that he hasn't actually met your father yet." Bill sounded rather amused.

"I don't really blame him," Elizabeth said quietly. "My father is nice, but he can be sort of intimidating at times. And honestly… I think it still bothers him a bit that I'm dating a blacksmith with a motorcycle."

Will shook his head. "No respect for the bike. Or the profession, for that matter," he added thoughtfully. "Should I be insulted?"

Elizabeth laughed. "It's nothing personal. He's just being overprotective."

"Doesn't he know I'd do anything to take care of you?" Will whispered softly, kissing the top of her head.

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually."

"I certainly hope so," Will said, a twinge of apprehension in his voice.

"You're scared of him," Bill said, grinning. It wasn't a question.

"No, I'm not…"

Elizabeth poked him lightly in the ribs. "Yes, you are."

"I just don't want him to hate me, is all," Will insisted. "I mean, it'd be nice to know that I have his permission if I ever decide to – " He froze, staring at Elizabeth as she stared right back at him.

The tension in the room was almost tangible. Bill resisted the urge to clear his throat or cough, just to break the silence. He was staring at his son just as hard as Elizabeth was.

"…To what?" Elizabeth asked after a very long moment. She could feel Will's heart racing.

"To – " Will swallowed hard and closed his eyes briefly, then said quickly, "To ask you to marry me…" He opened his eyes, looking at her nervously. "…At – at some point…"

Elizabeth continued to stare at him for a moment longer, her face blank with shock.

Will was practically on the verge of a panic attack, wondering exactly what the chanced were that the earth would suddenly open up and swallow him where he sat. _Probably not good_, he thought miserably. _But a guy can dream._

Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and closed it again. And then, on an impulse, she threw her arms around Will's neck and pulled him toward her, kissing him hard. Will reacted surprisingly fast, recovering from his shock in a matter of seconds and returning the kiss with equal fervor.

When they finally separated, Will said weakly, "So, does – does this mean you're okay with that, then?"

"I am if you are," Elizabeth said breathlessly.

"Just to be clear here, you know I'm not actually proposing _right now_ – "

"I – I know."

"…But at some point… you know…"

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Yeah. At some point."

"O-okay then." Will managed a faint smile. "Glad that's settled."

Finally deciding that it was once again safe to make noise, Bill exclaimed, "What the hell just happened here?"

"We decided we want to get married," Will answered, grinning. "Someday. Not right now. But someday." He glanced at Elizabeth. "Soon?"

She kissed him lightly, happiness welling up inside her. "Soon," she agreed quietly.

* * *

Review if you think Will and Elizabeth are nothing short of adorable ;)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was still snowing. Will was lounging on a window seat in the living room, watching the soft, gleaming flakes carpet the ground. He had always loved snow. It was soothing and beautiful, and he had loved to play in it as a child. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the cool glass.

There were some memories of his childhood that he would have given almost anything to forget; there were certain others, though, that he wanted to remember for the rest of his life. The winter he had turned twelve, there had been a blizzard, bigger than any he had ever seen. School had been cancelled for a week and a half. It was five days before the snow even let up enough for him to walk the short distances to his friend's houses. During those first five days, he hadn't gone any farther than his own front yard.

His mother had already been sick then, he remembered, but snow had always had an effect on her. She had loved it even more than Will had, and every time it snowed, no matter how bitterly cold it was, she always seemed to feel just a little better. After four days of a solid whiteout, she had been all but floating around the house, practically glowing, looking healthier than she had in months. One morning, when Will was pulling on his coat, hat, gloves, and boots, she had joined him, going outside to play with him for the first time since she had gotten sick.

They had built a snowman together. Will was too small and his mother was too weak to lift the heavy balls of snow for the body and head, but they had found some old boards in the garage, and together they were able to roll the snowman's body into place. They had made a face for him out of the stones that bordered a long-neglected garden, and completed the scene with an old baseball cap and scarf. Will vaguely remembered that the hat had once belonged to his father. It had blown away in the wind the night after they built the snowman. His mother hadn't seemed to mind.

That was one of very few good memories Will had from that year. It was one of the best he had of his mother. It was the last winter they spent together, the last Christmas. By the end of that summer, she was dead. She was dead and buried, and before Will even knew it, his entire life was packed away in boxes to be shipped to London, to the father he barely knew, who hadn't even come to his mother's funeral.

But for that one day, she had smiled again, she had _laughed_, and Will would never forget the sound. He had heard it so few times throughout his childhood, but it had stayed with him. It always would, even though he would never hear it again.

Leaning against the window, his breath fogging the cold glass, Will felt a few tears spill down his cheek.

"Will?"

He looked around, saw that Elizabeth was awake on the couch. He quickly wiped his face, hoping she hadn't noticed anything. "Hey."

Elizabeth stood up, came over to stand next to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Will said, a little too quickly. "I'm fine. I was just… remembering something." He smiled unconvincingly. "Come here." Reaching up, he pulled her onto the window seat next to him, feeling her curl up and snuggle into his arms.

"Remembering what?" she asked softly.

"My mother," Will answered quietly, wiping at the window with his sleeve. "The last winter before she died. It was a good one… well, there was one good day, at least."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand. "I miss my mom on Christmas, too."

Will smiled halfheartedly, said bluntly, "Look at us, talking about our dead parents on Christmas. Cheerful, isn't it?"

Elizabeth had to laugh. She pressed closer to him. "Merry Christmas, Will."

He kissed the top of her head. "Merry Christmas, love."

"Will…" Elizabeth said after a few minute's silence. "Your pocket is vibrating."

"So it is." He dug out his phone. "It's Jack."

"Where is he today?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"With Ana and her family," Will replied, smirking slightly. "Pretty sure they hate each other." He answered the phone. "Hey, Jack… No, I am not going to come "save" you. Especially not if you keep calling me Willy…"

Elizabeth let out a snort of laughter. Will poked her lightly, making her laugh even harder.

"Yeah, that's Elizabeth," Will said into the phone, apparently answering a question from Jack. "She's laughing 'cause she thinks you're an idiot… Damn, Jack, suck it up! Her parents are _not_ that bad!... They do not _hate_ you – well, per se…"

Bill came out into the living room. "Jack?" he questioned silently.

Will nodded, rolling his eyes. "Jack. _Jack_. Are you even listening to me? I've gotta go make breakfast… Because I make breakfast every Christmas… Because I like to cook, you sodding idiot!... Gimme a break… Jack, I'm going to hang up… Fine, I won't. But I'm handing you off to my dad."

"Oh no, you're not – " Bill said hurriedly.

Not taking no for an answer, Will shoved the phone into his hand. "Here he is, Jack!" He hastily escaped into the kitchen.

Bill sighed resignedly, raised the phone to his ear. "Hi, Jack… What do you mean 'is this Bill?' Don't you listen to anything anyone says?"

Elizabeth was giggling so hard she could barely catch her breath. "Does this usually happen?" she asked, joining Will in the kitchen.

He grinned, listening to his father's futile attempts to placate his friend. "Every year. It's practically tradition at this point. Jack's annual punishment for all the ridiculous things he does to me throughout the year."

Elizabeth laughed. "So, when we first met, and he told me you'd said you wanted to marry me…?"

"That was the year Ana told her parents that he'd talked her into getting a tattoo. She called me so I could listen in. I thought they were going to kill him. It was beautiful," he said cheerfully. "And you want to know what the best part was?"

"What?"

"Ana doesn't even have a tattoo. It was fake."

"That was a little harsh, wasn't it?" Elizabeth laughed. She leaned across the island counter toward Will. "I, for one, am quite glad that he told me you wanted to marry me."

Will kissed her, grinning. "Me, too. But he still deserved it."

* * *

"That was good."

"Thanks."

"Where did you learn to cook?"

"Taught myself."

"Oh, really?"

"Mm-hm. Because when I first moved in with Dad, he couldn't cook worth a damn," Will grinned.

Bill tousled his hair on his way past the couch. "My skill in the kitchen has since improved," he assured Elizabeth. He tossed a couple of packages into Will's lap. "Those are for you two."

Will reached over the back of the couch and pulled two boxes out of his duffel bag. "And these are for you – " He handed one to his dad. " – and you." He handed the other to Elizabeth.

"Hang on a minute…" Elizabeth got up and went to the closet where they'd stowed their bags the night before, returning with a soft package, which she handed to Will. "That's for you. Who's first?"

"You," Will and Bill answered in unison.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I swear you two are actually twins."

"We have a theory about that, actually," Will said with a grin. "I'll explain later."

Elizabeth tore the layers of paper and messy tape off of the gift Will had given her, reminding herself that she needed to teach him how to properly wrap things. He never could get it right, but his efforts were adorable nonetheless. She crumpled the shiny red paper, uncovering a long, thin box.

Inside was a sword. It was very elegant, entirely silver with two small sapphires set into the hilt. She lifted it carefully, delighted to find that it was the perfect fit for her hand. She laughed happily.

"So I finally get that sword I asked about two years ago." She wrapped one arm around Will's neck, kissed him softly. "It's beautiful. I love it."

Will grinned, obviously pleased. "It's not sharpened yet, by the way. I'm going to teach you how to use a sword before I hand you one that's razor sharp."

"That's fair," Elizabeth giggled. "All right, open yours now."

Will's gift from Elizabeth turned out to be a brand new, black leather jacket and gloves.

He let out a low whistle, grinned. "These probably cost more than my bike did!"

"Maybe, but your threadbare high school letterman's jacket was getting to be a bit of an eyesore, love," Elizabeth teased. "If you're going to be tearing around London on a motorcycle, I think you should at least look the part."

Will pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, love. But you know I'm still not actually getting rid of the letterman's jacket, right?"

"I know," Elizabeth answered, rolling her eyes with a smile. "But as long as you stop wearing it in public, I'll be happy."

Will kissed the top of her head, still grinning. "Fair enough. You're up, Dad."

Bill tore the paper off of his gift from Will, revealing a stack of four books.

"First editions," Will said proudly. "_The Lord of the Rings_ and _The Hobbit_." In response to Elizabeth's questioning look, he explained, "Dad collects antique books; first editions, when he can get them. That's what I get him for Christmas every year."

"These are in fantastic shape," Bill said, sounding impressed. "Where'd you find them?"

"A shop," Will said. "But I'm not telling you where, because knowing you, you'll buy their entire inventory, and I'll have to go back to spending hours on eBay to find your Christmas presents." As Bill continued to examine the books, Will added to Elizabeth, "Actually, those specific books are a bit of an inside joke. Dad thinks I look like that one guy from the movies – Dad, what's his name again? The elf guy with the arrows?"

"Legolas."

"Yeah, him. He thinks I look like him."

"That's because you _do_ look like him," Bill said. "You look _exactly_ like him."

Will made a face. "I don't see it. He has blond hair, doesn't he?"

"That's just a wig. The actor was brown hair like yours. Orlando something, I think."

"Orlando Bloom," Elizabeth supplied, grinning. "Now that you mention it, Will _does_ look an awful lot like him."

"I do not!"

Elizabeth pulled up a picture on her phone, held it next to Will. "Identical," she giggled. "You two are _identical_."

Will stared at the picture critically. "He looks nothing like me. His hair's too short. And what's up with that mustache?"

"I think you would look sexy with a mustache."

"Are you about to ask me to grow a mustache?"

"Would you grow a mustache if I asked you to?"

"No."

"Please?" She looked up at him pleadingly.

"…Maybe."

She laughed. "You're so easy."

Will turned red, quickly dropped her gift from Bill into her lap. "Here."

"You're good at changing the subject," Elizabeth teased as she pulled the wrapping off.

He shot her a grin. "It's a practiced skill."

Elizabeth pulled the lid off of the small box, letting out a small exclamation of surprise. "Oh!"

Will peered curiously over her shoulder, and saw that the box contained a silver charm bracelet. It was surprisingly familiar.

"Is – is that – ?"

Bill nodded, said to Elizabeth, "That bracelet belonged to Will's mother, and his grandmother before her."

"Are you sure you want me to have this?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Absolutely. Especially now that you've decided that you're definitely getting married someday."

Will leaned over, looking closely at the bracelet, his fingertips brushing a few of the charms. "I didn't know you'd kept it…" he whispered softly, his voice sounding far away.

"Then you'll probably be even more surprised in a minute," Bill said wryly. "Open yours."

Will did, revealing a worn black photo album. It looked rather old, but he couldn't recall seeing it before. He opened it to the first page.

It was a cover page, and there was just one photo: a pretty young woman sat in a hospital bed, tired-looking, but smiling broadly. In her arms, wrapped in a blue blanket, was a tiny baby boy. And sitting next to the bed, looking exactly like Will himself, was Bill Turner.

"That's your mother?" Elizabeth whispered.

Will nodded silently, slowly turning the pages. The first few were all baby pictures: Will as an infant with wide brown eyes and wispy curls that hung down over his forehead. Gradually, he grew into a toddler, holding onto his parent's hands as he took his first steps, then finally walking on his own, back and forth between his mother and father. Then he grew a bit older, Elizabeth guessed about three years old, and suddenly Bill vanished from the photos – _vanished from our lives_, Will thought sadly, _when I was barely old enough to remember him_. He continued turning the pages, and Jack Sparrow began to appear here and there, building seven-year-old Will a toy boat, theatrically pretending to be dead while Will stood over him, happily brandishing a small wooden sword.

Elizabeth laughed. "How old was he then?"

"Sixteen," Will grinned. "He wasn't such a sore loser at that age."

The pictures continued until Will was twelve, and then the pages were suddenly blank. No more photos. No more memories. Will sat motionless, staring at the very last snapshot in the book. It showed himself and his mother, standing on either side of a huge snowman. They looked so happy.

Bill leaned forward, looking at the photo that had his son so transfixed. "She always did love the snow," he whispered softly.

Will nodded slowly. "Yeah… she did." He closed the book. "Where did this come from?"

"I found it in the things they sent with you after she died."

"Why didn't you show it to me then?" Will asked, confused.

"I mean I just found it," Bill clarified. "Some of those boxes I never even opened until just recently. I couldn't bring myself to do it for a long time." He shrugged. "I figured you would want it."

"Yeah." Will traced the pattern on the cover with his finger. "Thanks, Dad."

"Merry Christmas, kiddo," Bill said affectionately.

Will smiled slightly. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

Merry Christmas, everyone! (And remember, the best Christmas presents for authors are lots and lots of reviews!)


	12. Chapter 12

Just a quick, nonsense chapter for New Year's. I came up with the silly idea, and then... well... "Couldn't resist, mate." ;)

* * *

Chapter 12

Will eyed the eggnog that Jack was drinking critically. "Just how much alcohol is in that?"

"Don' you worry 'bout it," Jack said evasively – and somewhat drunkenly. "Unless you wan' me t' make you one," he added with a grin.

Will made a face of disgust. "I'll pass."

Jack snorted. "Lightweight."

Will glared at him, took a quick swig of his beer.

"Lightweight, huh?" Elizabeth asked, smiling teasingly and poking him in the arm.

"Haven' you ever seen 'im drink? 'e can barely 'andle anythin'. Give 'im more 'n a couple o' beers an' th' bloody idiot'd do anythin'." Jack shook his head. "It's downrigh' sad, it is."

Noticing just how much Will was blushing, Elizabeth decided that a rescue was in order. She quickly changed the subject.

"So, Will, you never actually told me your theory on how you and your dad are actually twins."

Will and Jack both laughed.

"Now's when you find out jus' 'ow big of a nerd yer boyfriend really is," Jack chuckled.

Will grinned. "You're just jealous because you know being a nerd is more fun." He turned to Elizabeth. "Have you ever watched that show Doctor Who?"

"Isn't that the one with the time-travelling alien in the phone booth?"

"Technically it's a police box," Will corrected her. "And it's called the TARDIS. And the alien's called the Doctor."

"All hail th' king o' th' nerds," Jack said sarcastically. "Jus' get on with it, would yeh?"

Elizabeth had often wondered throughout her two year relationship with Will exactly how much of his life he had spent glaring at Jack Sparrow.

"_Anyway_," Will said pointedly, again turning away from Jack, "the theory goes something like this…" He took another sip of beer. "My dad and I were actually born as identical twins twenty-five years ago. But at some point, the Doctor showed up and took my dad with him on outrageous and highly improbable adventures through time and space, as the Doctor does."

Elizabeth giggled. Will was adorable when he was being nerdy.

"Somehow, during their travels," Will continued, "a paradoxical alternate reality formed around my twin, thereby creating a world where he became my dad. And, er, changed the color of his eyes."

"Tha's jus' messed up," Jack said.

Will shrugged. "How else do you explain us?"

"Pretty sure it's called genetics, mate."

"Bull. We're clearly twins."

Jack shook his head. "_Yer_ messed up."

"Says the man drinking something that's about twenty percent eggnog, eighty percent hard liquor. What'd you put in there? Rum?"

"Wha' else?" Jack grinned.

"That's disgusting," Elizabeth laughed.

Jack just shrugged and downed the last of his drink. "I'm getting' another one. Wan' me t' make you one?"

"Absolutely not."

"Yer loss." Jack peered under the counter. "Dammit, where's th' rum?" He wondered off into the kitchen. "Ana? Yeh still doin' inventory back 'ere?"

"Yeah!" she called from somewhere in the back.

"We got anymore rum?"

"None back here. I thought you still had two full bottles out there!"

"Are you tellin' me tha' the _rum_ is _gone?_" Jack asked, horrified.

"Apparently."

There was a brief moment of silence. And then: "_Why is th' rum gone?"_

Out in the front room of the bar, Will remarked curiously, "I thought there were a couple more bottles out here, too. I wonder where they went. He can't have drunk them both already – " He looked at Elizabeth, who was suddenly overcome with a fit of giggles. "What is it?"

Elizabeth reached down to the floor next to her stool. "Where indeed?" she laughed, holding up a bottle of rum.

A huge grin spread across Will's face. "I really love you."

"I love you, too," she grinned. "And we should probably get out of here before he realizes it was me…"

"Probably." Will drained the last of his beer. "Let's go."

As they stepped outside with the bottles hidden under their coats, Jack's frustrated shouts could still be heard from the back room:

_"But why is th' rum gone?!"_

* * *

__And I even managed to inflict my nerdiness upon you all with a cleverly placed and incredibly blatant Doctor Who reference! Happy New Year, loyal (and hopefully nerd-tolerant) readers!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

~Seven Months Later~

Will stared at the ornate door in front of him, willing himself to knock, to ring the bell, to do _something_. But he didn't move.

_This is nuts, Turner,_ he thought, shaking his head. _I mean, this is absolutely crazy. What the hell am I doing here?_ He glanced over his shoulder at his motorcycle, sitting in the drive behind him. _Probably shouldn't have ridden the bike. _He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. _Dammit, just knock already!_

It seemed ridiculous to simply walk up to such an enormous house and knock on the door, but he did it anyway, half hoping that no one would hear.

The door started to open.

_Damn._

A butler stood in the doorway, prim and proper, looking just as surprised to see a boy in motorcycle gear as said boy was to see a butler.

Will's already scattered mind went utterly blank. _A butler? He has a _butler?

Recovering from his initial surprise, the man now regarded Will stoically. "May I help you, sir?"

"I – I was hoping I could see, uh, Mr. Swann…" Will said hesitantly.

"Do you have an appointment, sir?"

_You need an appointment just to get into the bloody house?_ "N-no…"

"Then I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I can't help you, sir…" He started to close the door.

_Let it close, don't say anything, just let it close _– "I've been dating his daughter for two and a half years!"

_Damn it!_

The door halted, then slowly swung open again. The butler stood there, blinking mildly at him. Will had the distinct impression that the man was subtly sizing him up.

"I see." Finally, he stood aside, gesturing for Will to come in. "If you would wait here for a moment, sir…" He vanished through a small side door, leaving Will alone in a mind-bogglingly enormous front hall.

Trying not to look at the expensive artwork that covered seemingly every inch of the walls, Will attempted to occupy himself by examining the architecture. The crystal chandelier hanging directly above his head was very distracting, however, as its entire purpose in life seemed to be to defy the law of gravity, as well as whatever other laws of physics struck its fancy. He was so busy staring at it that he didn't even notice that the butler had returned until the man cleared his throat perfunctorily.

"Follow me, if you would please, sir." Without another word, he led Will across the entrance hall, through a different door, up a flight of stairs, and down a long hallway to another door, which he knocked on lightly.

A voice from inside said, "Come in."

The butler opened the door, and, as soon as Will had stepped through, closed it behind him with a snap.

Will found himself in what he assumed to be a study, but one that more closely resembled a public library. The walls were lined with bookshelves, rows upon rows of them, that stretched from the floor all the way to the lofty ceiling above. There was even a sort of ladder on wheels of a kind that Will, until that moment, had believed only existed in movies, for reaching books near the top. Directly across from him at the opposite side of the room was an ornate wooden desk, naturally lit by the enormous bay window that took up most of the wall behind it. Will felt uncomfortably small by the time he finally settled his gaze on the man sitting behind the desk.

Elizabeth's father had short, neatly combed grey hair, and a stern, lined face. He was wearing a crisp, white dress shirt. Will could see the light from the window glinting off of expensive-looking cufflinks. The overall effect was to make him instantly regret his own attire even more than he had previously. There was no place in this house for jeans, boots, and a leather jacket – even if it was a nice one.

Mr. Swann was watching him sternly, his hands folded and resting on the desktop in front of him.

"You must be the William Turner I've heard so much about."

Will cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, sir."

Mr. Swann gestured to a chair in front of the desk across from him, indicating that Will should sit. Will moved slowly toward it and perched nervously on the edge, trying to inconspicuously wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans as he did so.

Mr. Swann eyed him curiously. "I must admit, I was wondering if I would ever meet the man who stole my daughter's heart."

Will couldn't think of anything to say, so he settled for nodding silently.

"I trust that you came here for a specific reason," Mr. Swann prompted him.

Will nodded again, suddenly forgetting the exact reason why he was sitting so uncomfortably in this room.

Mr. Swann's gaze softened ever so slightly, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "I don't know what Elizabeth's told you, but I won't hurt you, boy."

Will swallowed hard. "I – " He fidgeted slightly. "I wanted to ask your permission to – to propose to your daughter. Sir," he added hastily.

Mr. Swann stared hard at him for a long moment. Will silently began to pray that the earth would swallow him where he sat.

At long last, Mr. Swann said quietly, "You want to marry my daughter."

It wasn't a question, but Will answered anyway. "Y-yes, sir."

"Why?"

Will was taken aback. "Because I love her."

And again, Mr. Swann asked simply, "Why?"

Will frowned. _Is he asking why I love Elizabeth?_ "Because… she's amazing. She's the most incredible woman I've ever known, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her." He took a deep breath. "I want to take care of her when she's sick, and hold her when she cries, and laugh with her when she's happy. I want to be there for her when she needs help, because she deserves someone who'll do that, and I can't imagine it being anyone but me. And I want to surprise her with pancakes with peanut butter and bananas on her birthday, because she loves pancakes with peanut butter and bananas." He hadn't actually meant to say so much, but he was on a roll now so he continued. "And also, I want her to be able to go to school and become an architect, because she wants that more than anything. Did you know that? It's her dream job, and I want her to have it." He suddenly faltered and lost steam. "And that's… that's why I want to marry your daughter. Sir," he added again.

Mr. Swann seemed to examine the shiny surface of his desk for several seconds. Finally, he looked up at Will.

"You'll take care of my little girl?"

Will's heart skipped a beat or two. _Was that a yes?_

He nodded earnestly. "Always."

Mr. Swann nodded slowly. "Then I suppose… you have my permission. On one condition, though: the two of you have to have dinner with me here sometime. I want to see both of you together and get to know you properly, Mr. Turner."

Will nodded again, struggling not to break out in a stupid grin. "Yes, sir."

Another faint smile crossed Mr. Swann's face as he watched the younger man's eyes light up. He glanced briefly at Will's hands, noticing the rough callouses there.

"Are you really a blacksmith?"

"Yes, sir. I have my own shop."

"What sorts of things can you make?"

Will shrugged. "Lots of things. I like to do swords, but I can do practically anything else made of solid metal."

"Door knockers?"

"Sure." Will tilted his head curiously. "Are – are you hiring me?"

"You may have noticed on your way in that there is a place on my door for a knocker, but there isn't currently one residing there."

"It broke?"

"Indeed."

Will smiled slightly. "I can fix that."

Mr. Swann smiled as well, glad to see that discussing business had put the boy more at ease. He wasn't sitting on the very edge of his chair anymore, at any rate.

"Good. I think I'll leave the design up to you, since you're the expert. I shall expect an update on your progress when you come for that dinner."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Swann held out a hand, which Will shook briefly. "You may go now, Mr. Turner."

Will nodded yet again and hastily made his way toward the door. He had just reached it when Mr. Swann called to him again.

"One last question, Mr. Turner… If I had said no, would you still have proposed to her?"

Will hesitated for a moment. "Yes," he admitted.

Mr. Swann looked strangely pleased. "Good day, Mr. Turner."

Too flustered to answer, Will ducked quickly out of the study. Once he was safely outside, he leaned against the closed door, breathing a sigh of relief. Then the butler emerged suddenly from a door nearby.

"If you would like to follow me out, sir…" He walked away.

Will trailed after him, wondering where exactly it was that the man kept appearing from. Outside, he paused on the front steps as the butler closed the door, then turned to examine the spot where a knocker should have been. He smiled, pleased.

"Oh, yeah. I can fix that."

Still grinning, he jogged down the steps and swung onto his bike, the engine roaring loudly as he rode away.

* * *

Jack watched as his best friend walked into the Black Pearl, grinning like a maniac.

"What're you so excited abou'?"

Will slid onto a barstool. "I just met Elizabeth's father."

"By yerself?"

Will raised an eyebrow and made a show of looking around to see if anyone else was present. "Obviously."

"Then why th' 'ell are yeh so happy? We all assumed 'e was gonna swallow yeh whole an' spit out yer bones."

"That's nice, Jack, thanks," Will said sarcastically. Then his irrepressible smile returned. "He gave me permission to ask Elizabeth to marry me."

Jack shook his head. "Yer an idiot."

"Why?"

"Fer wantin' t' get married!"

Will rolled his eyes. "You know I'm not like you, Jack. We might be best friends, but we're not the same. Not even close."

"Aye, I know tha', mate." Jack pretended to sigh resignedly. "So when're yeh gettin' th' ring, then?"

Will shrugged, frowning. "I don't know. That's sort of the problem, actually. I don't exactly have much money for one."

"Yeh jus' need t' make a big sale, is all. Find someone t' buy one o' those fancy swords you've 'ad hangin' on yer wall fer years an' years."

"Who?" Will asked helplessly. "Rich customers don't just appear out of nowhere, you know."

A voice spoke up from a table in the corner. "I might be interested in buying a sword, if you're selling."

Jack laughed. "Mate, 'e's _always_ selling. 'e's a bloody blacksmith."

The man shrugged. "Fair enough. What have you got?"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Hey Will, what about this one?"

Will heard Ana's call from across the store and moved to stand next to her, peering into the glass case that she was leaning over.

"Which one?"

"That one there."

"Not the giant one with a brown diamond the size of a gold ball?"

"That's probably the ugliest thing I've ever seen. I meant the one next to it. That silver one there, see?"

"Yeah…"

Ana sighed loudly, rubbing her forehead as she felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. "Okay, what's wrong with _this_ one, Will?"

He shrugged. "It's nice, it's just…"

"Just _what?_"

"Plain. It's too plain."

Ana stared at him incredulously. "This one is too plain. The last one was too fancy. And the one before _that_ was too sophisticated, whatever the hell you meant by that." She shook her head wearily. "You're killin' me, Turner."

The jeweler who had been attempting to assist them for the last hour evidently felt much the same.

"You know, sir, there would be many more options available to you if you could, perhaps, expand your price range somewhat…"

"Can't do that," Will said shortly.

Ana sighed again. "Will, at this point, _I'd_ be willing to pay for the difference if you find a more expensive ring that you like."

"But – "

"Just _go_, Will. Seriously. _Please_."

Without waiting for Will's response, the jeweler drifted over to another display case, gesturing hopefully at the rings inside. Will followed him reluctantly, the numbers he saw on most of the price tags making his palms sweat slightly.

"I really don't think – "

Ana spun him around and planted her hands firmly on his shoulders. "William Turner, this is the fifth jewelry store we have been to today. We have been ring shopping for nearly four and a half hours now. Therefore, you are going to look at this display case, and you are going to _pick a damn ring_, or so help me, I am _pushing you in front of a bus_."

Will tried to say something, but Ana clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't even, boy."

With a resigned shrug, Will pulled free of her and turned around to look at the rings in the case. "I really don't see how I can possibly afford…" He trailed off suddenly.

Ana stared at him excitedly. "Will? What is it? Do you _actually_ see one you like?"

"Can I see that one?" Will asked the jeweler, pointing.

The man nodded emphatically, looking relieved. "Of course, sir." He opened the back of the case and pulled out the ring that had caught Will's eye.

It was a thin silver band with a breathtaking princess cut diamond that was flanked by two sapphires, one on each side, with three smaller diamonds set into the band on either side of those.

"It's perfect," Will said quietly.

"Um, Will…" Ana said, poking him in the arm. "It's also one of the most expensive ones here."

Will glanced at the price tag, and a shadow crossed his face. "I noticed. But it's _perfect._" He set the ring down on the case. "Hang on a minute. I have to make a call." He moved away, pulling out his phone as he went.

Ana casually drifted a few feet closer to him so she could hear.

He dialed and held the phone to his ear, waiting. And then finally: "Hi… it's Will Turner. I was just wondering if you – if you still wanted to buy another sword." There was a short pause, during which Ana saw him grimace slightly. "Yeah… that one." He closed his eyes, ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm sure. Same price I gave the other day. Right."

Ana couldn't resist moving a little closer, until at last she could hear the voice other end of the line. She didn't recognize it, but at least now she could tell what the man was saying.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

And Will answered quietly, "Because she's worth it."

Ana quickly moved away as Will finalized his sale and hung up the phone, coming back over to stand next to her. He picked up the ring again, tilting it so it caught the light.

"Okay… I'll take it."

* * *

Bill Turner glanced at the name on his phone as it rang and was pleasantly surprised to find that Will was calling. He hoped nothing was wrong. Will wasn't exactly the casual, just-calling-to-chat type. He answered it quickly.

"Everything okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah," Will replied, somewhat hesitantly.

Shrewdly, Bill asked, "You sure about that?"

Will laughed nervously. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I just wanted to tell you… I bought a ring today, Dad."

Bill would have sworn he could actually hear his son's nervous grin.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Bill laughed, unable to resist the urge to tease his son. "And to think I used to worry that you'd never even get a girlfriend."

"Thanks, Dad," Will said sarcastically. "So much. Do you mind telling me why Jack said almost the exact same thing when Ana told him?"

"Just a coincidence, I'm sure," Bill chuckled. "But seriously, though… congratulations, kid."

"Thanks." The obvious grin was back in his voice.

There was a short pause, and Bill rolled his eyes, smiling slightly. "All right, what's the problem?"

"I, uh… I don't know how to ask her," Will admitted sheepishly.

"Well, it's pretty easy, see. Really all you have to do is say 'will you marry me,' and – "

"Da-ad…"

Bill laughed again. "Sorry." He thought for a moment. "I don't know… just do whatever you did on your first date. Make it romantic."

"First date. Right. I can do that." He sounded happy. "Thanks, Dad. I'll call you again after I ask her, okay?"

"You'd better," Bill smiled.

"I will. Bye, Dad. And thanks."

"Bye, kid. Good luck."

* * *

When Bill's phone rang three hours later and Will's name again appeared on the caller ID, he assumed that his son was calling to tell him that he had proposed. He answered it cheerfully.

"How'd it go, kid?"

He listened for a moment, the smile slipping from his face. Then he sat heavily in a nearby chair.

"Where are you?" he asked urgently, gripping the arm of the chair so hard his knuckles turned white. "I'll get there as soon as I can."

* * *

(Dun-dun-dunnnn) Bad things are about to happen... because even my extended fluff invariably ends up including some kind of drama. Seriously. It has to happen.

But anyway, I've always just had this idea in my head that Will would be ridiculously picky about what ring he proposed to Elizabeth with. He wouldn't quit until he found one that was absolutely perfect. And guess which sword he had to sell in order to buy it? (Hint, hint.)

Review if you love "Because she's worth it" as much as I do!


	15. Chapter 15

If you didn't see the short bit that I added onto the end of Chapter 14, go back and read that first. I meant to put that on there in the first place, but accidentally left it off when I typed it up.

Don't hate me for this. Even I can't write fluff forever without _something_ happening, therefore, something is happening. Author's prerogative.

* * *

Chapter 15

~Two Hours Earlier~

Will sat in his usual spot at the Pearl, fidgeting nervously, his foot shaking rapidly back and forth as he drummed his fingers on the bar top.

Jack watched him for a moment, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Wha's th' matter wi' you?"

Will shook his head. "Nothing." He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small box. "I'm asking her to marry me. Tonight." He glanced at his watch. "In just a couple hours, probably."

"Ah."

"I asked her to meet me here. I'm surprising her and taking her to Riverview. Just like our first date."

"When's she gettin' 'ere?"

"Soon. In about five minutes, I guess."

"You migh' wanna put tha' ring away, then, unless yer backup plan is t' propose righ' 'ere in th' middle of th' bar."

Will looked down at the box that he hadn't realized was still in his hand, and quickly shoved it back into his pocket. "Right. Thanks."

"What're you so nervous for, anyways?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Doesn't everyone get nervous before they propose?"

"No."

"Oh."

"'s not like she's gonna say no."

"You sure?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "'Course I'm sure, yeh bloody idiot! I ain' blind!"

Will managed a slight grin. "Thanks, Jack."

"Yer welcome. Now calm down, fer cryin' out loud. I'm gettin' jumpy jus' lookin' a' you."

"You sure that's not just all the alcohol in your system?" Will asked wryly.

"Alcohol's a narcotic, not a stimulant."

Will stared at him, pretending to be shocked. "You used big words, Jack! Good for you!"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Soon as Lizzy walks through tha' door, I'll tell 'er yer gonna propose."

"…you suck, Jack."

"Love yeh, mate."

Will's sarcastic retort was preempted by Elizabeth's timely arrival.

"'ey, Lizzy!" Jack said cheerfully. "You'll never guess wha' Will's gonna do – "

Will kicked him.

Elizabeth moved to stand next to him, playing with his hair. "Why? What's Will gonna do?"

He grinned innocently up at her as she ran her fingers through his curls. "Absolutely nothing. Ready to go?"

"Sure. But where are we going?"

"You'll see," Will said mysteriously, giving her the charming smile she loved so much. He picked up two helmets off the stool next to him, handing one to Elizabeth. "You'll need this."

"Fair enough," she grinned.

"See you, Jack!" Will called back over his shoulder as they left.

"See ya, idiot."

Outside, Elizabeth carefully slipped the helmet on over her hair. "So what on earth was Jack trying to tell me you're going to do?"

"Nothing, really," Will insisted, swinging onto his bike. "He was just being an idiot, as usual." Elizabeth slid onto the bike behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Ready?"

She hugged him. "Ready."

Then the engine roared as the bike and its two riders pulled away from the curb and shot off down the street.

* * *

Elizabeth squeezed Will's hand as they walked together along the banks of the Thames, just as they had after their first date.

"This is so perfect, Will," she said softly, moving in close to lean her head against his shoulder.

He slipped his hand out of hers so he could wrap his arm around her, pulling her against him and kissing the top of her head. "Good," he answered just as quietly. "I was hoping it would be."

She looked up at him, the moonlight shining in her eyes and on her hair. "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you."

She returned his smile as they came to a stop, stepping into his arms and pressing against his chest. He held her tightly, his heart beating slightly faster as he thought about the contents of the small box in his jacket pocket.

"Do you know how to dance?" he asked suddenly, needing to break the silence somehow before she noticed his increased heart rate.

Elizabeth raised her head to look up at him. "Only a little. My father wanted me to learn, but I never put much effort into it."

"I bet I can teach you."

Elizabeth giggled. "Out here?"

"Why not? We're alone, it's moonlit and romantic… I'd say it's rather the perfect time for a dancing lesson."

"Doesn't dancing usually involve music?" she asked, smiling.

He grinned back confidently. "You underestimate me. Didn't you know that I – " He stopped suddenly, looking around. "Did you hear something?"

Elizabeth gave a slight, involuntary shiver. "I don't know, maybe. It was probably just a stray cat or something."

Will peered into the darkness for a moment. "Yeah… you're probably – "

A dark shape stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway. It was definitely a person. Will squinted slightly, trying to make out distinguishing features. He couldn't make anything out, but already a heavy wait seemed to have settled in his stomach. Then the person took another step forward, and the dim light hit his face. He was very young, staring at them with wide, frightened eyes.

Will's sense of apprehension grew stronger still as he watched the boy. _London at night,_ he thought, silently reprimanding himself, _not always the best idea. Damn it._

Then the boy spoke in a quavering voice. "G-give me your wallet."

_You have _got_ to be kidding. I'm supposed to be proposing right now._

The boy made a sudden movement, tugging something from the waistband of his torn, dirty jeans. The moonlight gleamed coldly on the metal barrel of a handgun.

"I said give me your wallet!" He sounded absolutely terrified.

Will didn't move. _Scared and holding a gun. That's a fantastic combination. Really fantastic._ Some detached part of his mind vaguely wished that he had a sword. _You'd think I was born in the eighteenth century. Why is a _sword_ the only weapon I know how to use?_

For a long moment, the only movement from any of the three was the boy's hand shaking as he tried to hold the gun steady.

And then, without warning, an explosion of sound shattered the silence of the night: a siren blared suddenly from a nearby street, and, startled, the boy's finger squeezed the trigger, firing three bullets in rapid succession.

He was aiming at Elizabeth.

There was no time to think. Will's subconscious could see the entire situation in slow motion, but there was no time for anything but his instincts to catch up. There was only time to move, if he could do it fast enough. And every muscle in his body was screaming at him to move.

Instinct kicked in. Without quite knowing what he was doing, he pushed himself into Elizabeth, shoving her to one side –

There was time to move, but not enough. Not time to move _enough_.

He stumbled backwards, reeling as if he had taken a punch. He felt something solid behind him, a wall, and leaned against it, his legs suddenly not strong enough to support his weight. Everything was so blurry all of a sudden. Why couldn't he focus? Elizabeth was close to him – right next to him, he realized – and she seemed to be speaking, to be saying something to him, but he couldn't make out the words.

_What's happening to me…?_

He slid to the ground, too weak and dizzy to remain upright any longer. And then he made the mistake of looking down.

His chest was covered in blood. He blinked, struggling to make some kind of sense of the mass of red, and suddenly remembered the bullets. Three of them. Three bullets, shooting through the air at terrifying speed.

Coming toward him.

Three bullets coming toward him. _Three_.

He couldn't breathe. It was a startling moment, this sudden realization that his lungs were not – could not – take in enough air. He gasped, trying to force them to work, to give him the oxygen that he so desperately craved, and he got a little bit – just a _tiny_ bit – but still, it was air. Then he tasted blood, his mouth and throat were full of it, and he coughed violently –

That was when the pain hit him. He had never felt anything like it in his life, this burning, overwhelming _pain_ that obscured every other feeling. He gasped again, and the movement sent extra spasms of agony through his chest.

_Elizabeth_.

He knew she had been there before, but he couldn't find her now.

_Oh, God, where are you? I need you, Elizabeth, it hurts so bad –_

"Will!"

Her voice broke suddenly through his stupor, through the haze of pain that clouded his senses. He blinked, looking up at her, finding her scared face through the fog. He tried to reach for her, for hold onto her, but he was slipping sideways against the wall, and she lowered him to the ground so that he was lying flat on his back.

"Will, I'm so sorry – I have to try to slow the bleeding." She pressed down on the wounds, and he cried out in pain. She brushed a hand against his face briefly before returning it to his chest. "I'm sorry."

His mouth filled with blood again and he coughed, dimly aware of the small drops of bright red that suddenly spattered the wall next to his face.

He was scared. He didn't know what would happen, but it didn't seem like it could be anything good. He needed to talk to Elizabeth, had to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't. He was half-choking on the blood again, and the words wouldn't come.

"Will!" It was Elizabeth's voice again. "Come on, look at me! You're going to be all right! Will…" Her voice broke, and he realized faintly that she was crying. "You have to be all right."

His vision was fading at the edges, the blackness obscuring the sky, the alley walls, Elizabeth's face. He was so scared…

The last thing he remembered was Elizabeth close to him, her hand caressing the side of his face.

"Stay with me, Will…"

* * *

Because it's fluff, but it's fluff that wants to make a vague attempt to follow the movies, kinda-sorta.

Review if you still love me...?


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Elizabeth Swann hated hospitals. She had ever since she was seven years old, when she had watched her mother die in one. The hallways and waiting rooms were sterile, barren, impersonal. It made her feel cold.

"Miss Swann?"

Elizabeth jumped slightly, looked up at the nurse who stood in the doorway of the small waiting room.

"Yes?"

"There are no emergency contacts on record for William Turner. Can you think of anyone we should notify?"

Tears pricked at Elizabeth's eyes, and she blinked rapidly until the feeling went away. _Will, you idiot, why don't you have emergency contacts?_ She swallowed hard. "I'll do it. I'll… I'll call them."

The nurse nodded silently and left.

Elizabeth reached into her pocket, pulled out a phone. It was Will's. She had forgotten hers in her car, back at the Pearl. After the shooting, she had used Will's own phone to call for an ambulance. It would have the only two numbers she needed now in it. She scrolled slowly through the contacts until she came to 'D' and found the listing labeled 'Dad.' Reluctantly, she pressed the call button.

Bill answered quickly. "How'd it go, kid?"

Elizabeth was silent for a second, uncomprehending. Her mind felt so scrambled and confused. _He thinks this is Will._

"Th-this is Elizabeth," she managed finally. "Will… Will's been shot."

There was a brief pause, and then Bill asked urgently, "Where are you?"

"London Bridge Hospital."

"I'll get there as soon as I can." The line went dead.

Elizabeth returned to the contacts list. There was one more person Will would want her to call.

Jack answered on the first ring. "Wha's th' word, mate?"

All she could do was repeat the same message: "This is Elizabeth. Will's been shot. We're at London Bridge Hospital."

Jack's concise response was just three words: "On my way." Then he too hung up.

Elizabeth also ended the call, looking at the phone in her hand properly for the first time. The back of the case was splattered with dried blood. Her hands and clothes were soaked with it as well. All she could think was that she needed to get it off. But again, a voice from the doorway startled her.

"Are you Elizabeth Swann?" Two policemen stood there looking at her.

"Yes."

They entered the room, one of them pulling out a notepad and pen as he did so. "We have some questions for you regarding the events of this evening…"

* * *

She had answered all of their questions, told them everything she could remember, even given them enough of a description of the shooter for them to have a sketch done. And now all she wanted was for them to leave.

"Are you sure that's everything, Miss Swann?"

"Yes."

"You can't think of anything else we might need to know?"

She sighed. "No."

A familiar voice spoke suddenly from behind the two officers. "Somebody wanna tell me wot th' 'ell 'appened t' my friend?"

The two men turned to look at Jack. "And you would be…?"

"Jack Sparrow," he replied shortly. "Will's my bes – my brother."

"I thought you said he was your friend," one of the officers put in.

Jack glared irritably at the man. "Close enough." He glanced behind them at Elizabeth. "Now if yer done annoyin' Miss Swann, 'ere, I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you'd leave. Now."

The two policemen looked at each other, shrugged, and made their way to the door. One of them paused just outside. "You'll call us if you think of anything else?"

Elizabeth nodded, and he left.

Jack came and sat next to her, silently waiting for her to speak. She had never seen him so quiet, so obviously effected by what was happening.

"You told them Will is your brother," she remarked quietly.

Jack shrugged. "I've known 'im 'is entire life. I moved 'ere from Scotland for 'im after 'is mum died. And 'e's prob'ly th' best friend any man could ever 'ave. So yeah, we're brothers. Or near enough, anyways." They sat in silence as Jack stared at the blood on Elizabeth's hands and clothes. "That all 'is?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "I haven't even had a chance to wash it off yet."

"There's a restroom righ' down th' 'all. Go wash yer 'ands. I'll be 'ere if anythin' 'appens."

Elizabeth nodded gratefully and left. In the restroom, she began to scrub her hands and forearms, watching the water turn red as it ran down the sink. She hadn't realized just how much blood there was until she tried to wash it off. She shivered. _How much did he lose?_

Once her hands were as clean as she could get them, she splashed some cold water on her face, looking at her reflection in the mirror over the sink as the dried herself with a paper towel. She was strikingly pale, and there was a worried, frightened look in her eyes.

_What if he dies?_ The thought seemed to come from nowhere, but she knew it had been in the back of her mind since the moment the bullets had hit him. _What if he dies?_

_No,_ she thought, shaking her head vehemently. _No, don't think like that. He won't. He can't…_

Jack had his phone out when she finally returned to the waiting room.

"I jus' called Ana. We were workin' when you called. She's gonna close up th' Pearl an' then come 'ere. I asked 'er t' bring some clean clothes fer you," he added, glancing once again at her bloodstained attire.

"Thanks, Jack," Elizabeth whispered weakly.

Jack nodded, then finally asked the question that he'd been waiting to since his arrival at the hospital. "So what 'appened?"

Elizabeth's hands started to shake slightly, so she folded them in her lap. "We had dinner at the same restaurant he took me to for our first date… then afterwards we went for a walk by the river just like we did then. He was being so sweet and romantic…" She stared at the floor, trying not to relive what had happened next. "Would you believe I never learned to dance?" she asked quietly. "Will said he would teach me. And then we heard a noise, and there was this kid standing there behind us. Kept asking for our wallets… and then he pulled a gun. He looked so – so scared, so young. I don't think he would have used it, but… there was this siren, and it suddenly, somewhere nearby, and it startled him… He fired three times and ran." Her eyes filled with tears. "Thing is… he was aiming at me when he fired. Will pushed me out of the way, but – but he couldn't move fast enough…"

Jack leaned across and squeezed her clasped hands. She couldn't help wondering if he had ever been so serious and sincere in his entire life.

"He loves you," Jack said softly.

She nodded. "I know."

After a while, Jack said, "Yeh know we'll prob'ly be 'ere fer a long time. I'm gonna try t' find th' cafeteria, get us somethin' t' eat. Okay? I'll bring yeh some coffee."

"Thanks, Jack," Elizabeth said for the second time, trying to give him a weak smile.

Jack nodded and left, making his way down the hall to a reception area. "'scuse me…" he said to get the attention of the nurse behind the desk.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked politely.

"I hope so. My friend was brought in a while ago, see, with gunshot wounds – "

"I'm afraid he's still in surgery, sir."

Jack shook his head. "I know tha'. Thing is, 'is girlfriend came in with 'im, an' 'e was plannin' on proposin' t' 'er t'night, so 'e would've 'ad th' ring on 'im."

"I see."

"Since 'e didn' get th' chance t' propose, I was hopin' I could get th' ring an' 'old onto it for 'im, without 'is girlfriend findin' out."

The nurse eyed him critically for a minute, before finally responding, "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

The nurse nodded, picking up a phone. "It'll take me a few minutes."

"Tha's fine. Can I 'ead down t' th' cafeteria an' stop 'ere on th' way back?"

"Sure. Just take that elevator down there to the ground floor, then follow the signs. You can't miss it."

"Thanks."

Jack returned to the reception area fifteen minutes later with two sandwiches in a paper bag and two large Styrofoam cups of coffee. The nurse, seeing him coming, pulled a small box from under the desk.

"This was in the pocket of his jacket."

Jack opened it briefly to make sure the ring was there, then closed it again, scraping a few flecks of blood off of it with his fingernail.

"'e's gonna get a chance t' use this, right?"

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "I hope so."

Jack slipped the box into his pocket, frowning grimly. "Me, too."

Ana arrived at the hospital ten minutes later, bringing the promised change of clothes for Elizabeth, and Bill came just over an hour and a half after that, forcing Elizabeth to repeat her story two more times. After relating to Bill all that had happened – the fourth time she'd repeated the information that evening – she fell silent, not saying another word as they sat together in the small room, waiting to find out what would become of a son, a love, a best friend.

* * *

Yes, I know, I'm a terrible person. But hey, if you think this chapter's depressing, just wait til you read the next one.

...oops, did say that out loud? *laughs nervously*


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Nearly four hours after Will's arrival at the hospital, a rather tired-looking doctor entered the waiting room.

"Family of William Turner?"

Bill glanced around the room at Elizabeth, Jack, and Ana. "Yes."

The doctor looked around as well, somewhat disbelieving. "All of you?"

"_Yes_," Jack said firmly.

"All right, fair enough," the man said. "My name is Dr. Hoo – "

If she hadn't been so worried, Elizabeth would have laughed. "Are you serious?" she asked, speaking for the first time in an hour.

The doctor nodded, smiling slightly. "Quite. And don't worry, I get that all the time. But my name is indeed Dr. Hoo, and I've been treating William since his arrival."

"Word of advice, mate," Jack interrupted. "Don' ever let 'im 'ear yeh call 'im William. 'is name is Will."

Hoo nodded agreeably. "All right, I've been treating Will since his arrival." He paused briefly, looking around at them all. "The surgery went much better than expected. However, we do have some concerns about the amount of blood loss he experienced. Rapid blood loss in too great an amount can cause a kind of shock that often proves difficult to overcome, even if the blood loss itself is survivable."

"So what does that mean for Will?" Bill asked quietly.

Hoo shook his head. "We can't be sure just yet. We gave him blood transfusions. Now all we can do is monitor his condition to make sure his body recovers from the initial shock."

"Can we see him?" Elizabeth asked.

"They're moving him to a recovery room just down the hall now; room 213, I believe. Once he's situated, I'll see what I can do. Likely they'll let just one or two of you back at a time, so decide who will go – "

He stopped suddenly as there was a frantic flurry of sound and motion from the nurse's station just down the hall. A nurse appeared in the doorway behind him, and he stepped outside to talk to her. Elizabeth and Bill, who were closest to the door, heard what she said.

"It's room 213, doctor!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she grabbed Bill's arm with a grip so strong it would have hurt if he had been aware of anything more than the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears.

As Dr. Hoo followed the nurse, Elizabeth, Bill, Jack, and Ana piled out of the room and into the hallway, peering at the nurse's station, trying to make out what was happening. One of the monitors in the bank above the bank above the desks was displaying a row of frantic, arrhythmic peaks. Then, as they watched, the spikes suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but a flat, unbroken line.

"Can – can anyone see what room that's monitoring?" Ana asked in a small voice.

"Yeah," Elizabeth whispered, gripping Bill's arm even harder. "It's 213."

* * *

It had taken her a long moment to process what she was seeing. _A flatline. A flatline means the heart's stopped. There's no pulse… no _life_… Oh God, his heart's stopped._ She shivered violently. _This isn't happening. It _can't_ be happening. It can't be Will in that room…_

_This wasn't supposed to happen. Things weren't supposed to be this way. I was going to marry that boy. He said he wanted to get married, he wanted a family. We were going to get married and have children, and they were going to look just like him, all big brown eyes and curly hair…_

_He's going to be okay. He has to be. He had so survive this so I can marry him. I can't spend my life with anyone but him. He's everything to me. I love him._

* * *

_Not my son._ It was all he could think at first, the words running through his mind over and over. _Not my son. Not my son._

_He's barely more than a kid. He has to marry Elizabeth and have kids of his own and grow up with his family._

_He's only twenty-five. He's strong. He can make it through this. Please, God, let him make it through this. Don't take my boy. Not my little boy. Not my son._

* * *

Jack stared, unblinking, at the line on the monitor, the words he had spoken earlier in the evening echoing through his mind: _'e's prob'ly th' best friend any man could ever 'ave. So yeah, we're brothers. Or near enough, anyways._

He shook his head very slightly. _Ferget 'near enough.' 'e's my brother, plain an' simple. Will Turner is my little brother._

He felt the ring in his pocket. _'e's my brother, an' I'm s'posed t' be th' best man at 'is wedding, 'cause if th' damn fool's gonna go an' get married, then I'm sure as 'ell gonna be there._

_Besides, 'e can't die now, 'cause everyone knows I'm gonna die of kidney failure long before 'e goes. An' little brothers aren' allowed t' die first!_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

After what had seemed like an eternity, the flat line on the monitor had given way to a jagged spike… then another… and another. And now, almost an hour later, Dr. Hoo finally returned to the waiting room. Before he could so much as open his mouth, Bill stood and faced him.

"I know you people always try to make things sound better than they are, but I don't want any of that bullshit. Just tell us what's happening."

The doctor nodded. "All right. Just as I suspected, he's having trouble recovering from the blood loss. The residual shock of it actually caused a cardiac arrest. _However_, as I'm sure you saw, we were able to restore a fairly regular pulse, and, for now, he's stable. He's heavily sedated, because there's no guarantee that this won't happen again. We want him resting until we're sure he can recover."

"And what are his chances of that?" Bill asked quietly.

"Officially, I can't say yet."

"Unofficially, then."

Dr. Hoo smiled slightly. "He lost a lot of blood very fast, but he's strong, and he's fighting. All he has to do is make it through the next few days. I don't want to make any promises, but I, personally, believe he can do it."

Bill sank back into his chair next to Elizabeth, running his fingers through his hair. Elizabeth nearly smiled. He looked just like Will.

On his way out of the room, Hoo added, "You can go back and sit with him for a while if you'd like. No more than two at a time, though, please, or the nurses will have my head."

They all nodded, and Elizabeth said quietly, "Thank you."

After the doctor had left, Jack looked at Bill and Elizabeth. "You two go. Take as long as you need. Ana an' I can wait."

Ana nodded in agreement, so Elizabeth and Bill got up and left.

The first thought that entered Bill's mind when he walked into his son's room was that he looked so young, almost like a kid laying there. He was reminded suddenly of the last time he had seen Will in a hospital, when he was fourteen. He had broken his left arm in a bike race with a boy from school whose favorite pastime was picking on the "little paisley boy." Will may have broken his arm, but he had won the race, and he had sat there grinning like a hero the entire time they were setting his arm. There were no such smiles now. Will lay there, frighteningly still, his pale face contrasting starkly with the dark brown curls that rested against his forehead.

Bill sat heavily in a chair next to the bed, brushing a hand over his son's hair. "Oh, Little One…"

* * *

Moonlight gleamed coldly on the metal of the gun barrel as the sound of the shots shattered the night. Three shots, one after the other. She counted them silently. One, two, three…

Everything was black. She couldn't see. And then there was Will, looming up out of the darkness in front of her, covered in blood, an enormous mass of red.

"Why didn't you save me, Elizabeth?" His voice sounded far away; he was being drawn away from her, and she couldn't bring him back. She tried to say something, to tell him that he was sorry, that there was nothing she could do, but she couldn't speak. She could only watch as he faded from sight.

"_Why didn't you save me?"_

Elizabeth woke with a start, shivering. She was curled up in a chair in Will's hospital room. Bill sat next to her. He reached over, rested a hand lightly on her arm.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, rubbing her eyes. "It was just a dream. A bad dream," she admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bill asked quietly.

Elizabeth looked at Will, at the thick bandages that covered the wounds in his chest. "I should have saved him."

"What?"

"I should have saved him!" Elizabeth repeated. "When he pushed me out of the way, I should have pulled him with me or – or something."

"Elizabeth," Bill said firmly, sliding his chair closer so he could see her face. "This is _not_ your fault. Frankly, it's incredible that he was able to move fast enough to get _you_ out of the way. You couldn't have saved him as well. No one could have; there wasn't time."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I still feel like it's my fault."

Bill sighed. "I know how you feel. Believe me, I do." He also turned to look at Will. "When he first came to live with me after his mother died… he broke my heart. Every time I looked at him, I could see in his eyes that he was scared, he was upset, he was angry… he was lost. And I started to feel like it was my fault. I started to think that somehow, she had died because of me, because I left. I watched Will struggle to deal with what was happening, with his entire life turning upside-down, and I blamed myself for letting it happen, for not being able to help him. It didn't even make sense. His mother had cancer. She didn't find out until four years after I left, and even then she didn't tell me. My leaving had absolutely nothing to do with it, there was nothing I could have done to change it. But I still blamed myself."

"And what did you do?" Elizabeth asked. "How did you deal with it?"

"For a long time, I didn't," Bill answered. "It tore me apart, but I couldn't make myself stop believing it. But I remember when it finally went away."

"When?"

Bill smiled. "The first time Will hugged me. When he accepted me as his father… as his family. That took a year. A whole year of beating myself up over something that wasn't my fault. It's not worth it, Elizabeth."

She looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

"It hurts, blaming yourself like that. And it's not worth it. You have to accept that there was nothing you could have done, nothing you could have changed. And you have to move on. Can you do that?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "I think so."

Bill squeezed her hand. "Good. Will would want you to."

She attempted a weak smile. "I know."

* * *

The silence in the room was broken suddenly by the sound of a phone ringing. Elizabeth pulled it out – Ana had volunteered to retrieve it for her the day before – and frowned as she looked at the screen.

"Who is it?" Bill asked, noticing the look on her face.

"My father. He – he doesn't know what happened. I haven't told him. I don't think he really approves of Will, to be honest."

"You should answer it," Bill urged. "If he hasn't heard from you in a few days, then he's probably worried."

Elizabeth nodded. "I'll go outside."

"Don't bother," Bill said, standing up. "I'll go get us some coffee from the cafeteria." He left.

Elizabeth answered the call. "Hi, Dad."

"Is everything all right, Elizabeth? You sound… tired. Worried."

Elizabeth bit her lip, unsure of what to say. "I'm… I'm at the hospital."

"What – "

"_At_ the hospital, Dad, not _in_ the hospital. I'm fine. It's…" She swallowed hard, watched Will's chest rise and fall for a moment to remind herself that he was still there, still alive. "It's Will."

"What happened, sweetheart?"

Her heart broke at the term of endearment, and suddenly she wished he was there. "He took me out for dinner, just like our first date. Afterwards we went for a walk by the river, and – "

"He was shot?" her father asked quietly.

Elizabeth was silent for a few seconds, startled. "How – how did you know?"

"It was on the news," he answered. "There was a shooting along the Thames three nights ago. The police just picked up the suspect earlier today, based on the description given by 'the victim's girlfriend,'" he said, quoting the report. "I imagine they'll need you to identify him."

"I suppose so," Elizabeth agreed.

"Is he going to be all right?" he asked suddenly.

"We don't know yet," Elizabeth answered.

"Let me know if anything happens."

"I will. But Dad… I thought – I thought you didn't like Will."

There was a brief silence, then he replied, "I was uncertain, at first. But you love him, and I want you to be happy, little girl."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, genuinely smiling for the first time in days. "Thanks, Dad. I'll call you when I know anything, okay?"

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, Dad."

* * *

Reviews make writers happy, and happy writers don't let lovely characters die. Gosh, was that blackmail? I think it might have been...


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

He could hear a strange sound somewhere nearby, repetitive, clinical. It was unsettling, and it bothered him, although he couldn't remember why.

What had happened? The last thing he remembered was Elizabeth. He was with Elizabeth, and they were walking along the river…

Pain. Bullets and blood and so much _pain_.

He couldn't remember anything else; he didn't even know where he was. He felt alone.

His heart began to race, and the strange, persistent noise became faster as well, falling onto rhythm with his pulse.

A hospital. That sound belonged in a hospital. But he hated hospitals, and he hated being alone, and he was too exhausted to control the fear…

* * *

~One Hour Earlier~

"I have good news." Dr. Hoo stood in the doorway, looking pleased. "Will has showed remarkable improvement over the past few days. I'll have to confer with my colleagues, but I believe… we may be able to take Will off of the sedatives today. He can wake up," he said with a smile.

"When?" Elizabeth asked breathlessly.

"As soon as I talk to my friend about it, hopefully. He's very good with these sorts of cases. If he agrees with my prognosis, I'll stop Will's sedatives immediately. I'm actually on my way to find him right now," he added with a smile. "Just thought you would want to hear the news."

Bill nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Once Hoo had stepped back outside, Elizabeth said quietly, "So if he's recovered enough to wake up… that means he's out of danger now, right? He's going to be okay?"

Bill's haggard face was tired, tense. "I hope so."

Elizabeth understood how he felt. "I just want to hear his voice."

"Me, too," Bill agreed softly.

* * *

Dr. Hoo stood with his back to them, adjusting something on the IV line that ran into Will's arm. He turned towards them.

"All right, the sedatives have been disconnected. It'll probably be at least forty minutes to an hour before we see any change. I'll be just down the hall or in another patient's room. Call the nurse's station if you need me."

Elizabeth and Bill both nodded silently from their seats next to Will's bed.

It had been slightly less than half an hour when Will's eyelids twitched. Elizabeth and Bill glanced at each other, startled, before turning back to Will. He was still for several seconds, and then there was another faint movement, his eyes flickering from side to side beneath his lids. His breath hitched suddenly in a faint gasp, and then Elizabeth's eyes flicked upward to the heart rate monitor next to the bed, watching the glowing line spike as his pulse suddenly became more and more rapid. His breathing became heavier as well, matching his heartbeat.

Bill leaned over his son and whispered quietly, "_Will_."

Will's eyes flew open, wide with fear, and he blinked several times, trying to focus on his father's face.

Bill brushed a hand over his unruly hair. "Calm down, kiddo. You're not alone. We're here for you. You're not alone."

Will let his eyes fall shut for a few seconds as he relaxed, getting his breathing under control, his pulse slowing back to normal. Finally, he opened them again as he managed, in a weak, raspy voice, "Dad…"

Bill smiled. "Hey, kid. Good to see you awake."

Will's gaze shifted from his face, coming to rest on Elizabeth's.

She squeezed his hand. "Don't try to say my name yet. It's too long."

He gave her a weak smile, returning the squeeze as well as he could. "How 'bout Liz, then?"

Elizabeth shook her head, laughing reluctantly. "The point was to stop you from trying to talk, you idiot."

Will grinned. "I know." He coughed slightly to clear his throat. "I love you."

Elizabeth held his hand against her cheek, smiling as he wound a few loose strands of her hair through his fingers.

"I love you, too."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Will and Elizabeth had the room to themselves, having finally convinced Bill to leave and get some sleep.

"You think I could get Dad to bring me some real food when he comes back?" Will asked hopefully, poking at his semi-unidentifiable meal with a plastic fork.

Elizabeth laughed. "Do you have a problem with hospital food, Will?"

He raised an eyebrow in an expression of disbelief, picking up a small plastic cup of quivering orange cubes. "This is Jell-O, I can tell you that much. But _what_," he continued, picking up a paper plate, "is _this?_"

Elizabeth eyed it critically, finally taking it from him and sniffing uncertainly at it. "I really don't know."

"Then yes," Will announced. "I have a problem with hospital food."

Elizabeth snorted. "I'll ask your dad to pick up some fish and chips on his way back, okay?"

"Thank you," Will said, relieved, covering the strange mass on the plate with a napkin. "I'm not afraid of a lot of things, but I _am_ afraid of eating _that_."

Elizabeth laughed again. "Eat your Jell-O before Jack gets here and eats it for you."

Will let out a snort of laughter. "Are you kidding? Jack's only interested in Jell-O if it's got alcohol in it and it's served in a shot glass."

Elizabeth was about to reply when entered the room. "You have another visitor, Will. Do you want to see a Mr. Swann?"

Will and Elizabeth exchanged glances, Elizabeth shrugging curiously.

"Er… yeah, I guess."

The nurse glanced at the covered plate on his tray. "You're not going to eat that, are you?"

"I, uh, wasn't planning on it, no."

She smiled slightly. "I didn't think so. Can't say I blame you, to be honest." She took the tray. "I'll send Mr. Swann in."

"What do you think your father wants?" Will asked Elizabeth nervously.

She shrugged again. "I guess we'll find out."

Will nodded as Mr. Swann walked into the room. He looked at Elizabeth. "I had hoped I might speak with William alone…"

Elizabeth glanced at Will, who nodded again, uncertainly. She squeezed his hand as she stood up and left.

Once he was alone with Elizabeth's father, Will said, "It's Will, actually."

"Excuse me?"

"It's Will. Not William." _I think that's the painkillers talking…_

"I see."

"Was there, um… was there something you wanted? Sir?"

"Yes, actually," Mr. Swann said, seeming to remember his exact purpose for visiting. He paused for a brief moment. "You know, when I first gave you permission to marry my daughter, I have to admit that I was still somewhat uncertain about you."

Will shifter nervously. _That's comforting._

"However," he continued, "I saw the news report on your… accident the other night."

"It wasn't really an accident so much as just me getting shot…" Will reddened slightly. _Shut up, painkillers._

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Mr. Swann's mouth. "Indeed. The report said… the victim was injured because he was 'protecting his girlfriend.' I was just curious… what exactly happened that night? Elizabeth said you were walking by the river."

Will nodded, staring at the end of his bed. "He was aiming at her. That was one of the first things I remembered after I woke up. He was aiming at her, and I couldn't… I couldn't let him hurt her." He closed his eyes briefly. "Don't remember much after that."

"Will," Mr. Swann said quietly.

Will looked slowly up at him.

"You marry my daughter. I know she'll be safe with you, and happy. So you go ahead and ask her to marry you." He smiled slightly. "And you don't need to be afraid of me. I won't bite."

Will managed a grin, blushing a little more.

"When are you going to ask her?"

"I don't know," Will admitted. "To be honest, I don't have the ring. I don't know what happened to it after I got shot."

"I can 'elp yeh there, mate."

Mr. Swann turned in surprise, staring at the dreadlocked man standing in the doorway behind him.

Jack stuck out a hand. "Jack Sparrow. Will's bes' friend an' adopted big brother. You mus' be 'lizabeth's dad."

Mr. Swann took the proffered hand somewhat gingerly. "Indeed." He glanced back at Will. "Am I correct in assuming that Mr. Sparrow will be part of the wedding, then…?"

"He'll be my best man," Will said, struggling to hold back the laughter that was threatening to erupt. The effort was making his chest ache.

"Yer damn right, I will," Jack confirmed, nodding.

Will let out a snort, doing his best to cover it up with a cough. Jack gave him an amused look behind Mr. Swann's back.

"Yes, well…" Mr. Swann took a step toward the door, moving around Jack. "I should be going. Make sure Elizabeth remembers to call me after you ask her."

Will grinned. "I will."

Mr. Swann nodded and stepped outside. Jack watched him go, then pulled a chair up to Will's bed.

"'ow're yeh doin', mate?"

Will shrugged. "Not bad. But that's probably the painkillers."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Nice. Bu' anyways…" He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small box. "This's yers."

Will took it, looking relieved. "How did you get this?"

"Asked th' nurse outside. I figured yeh wouldn' want 'lizabeth t' find out 'bout it, since yeh hadn' asked 'er yet."

Will smiled gratefully, tilting the ring so it caught the light. "Thanks, Jack."

"'s no problem. What're big brothers for, eh?" Jack answered, grinning.

Will laughed. "When, exactly, did you decide that we're actually related?"

"When th' nurses wouldn' tell a friend wha' was goin' on, bu' they were perfectly happy t' tell family," Jack growled irritably.

Will laughed again, doing his best to ignore the persistent ache that it caused in his chest.

Watching him closely, Jack asked, "Tha' hurts, doesn' it?"

Will shrugged, wincing slightly. "A bit." He spun the ring between his fingers. "I really want to ask her to marry me."

"So do it."

"I don't want to ask her in a hospital. I had this big romantic date night planned and everything…"

"Yeah, an' look where tha' got yeh," Jack pointed out, sounding amused. "Jus' ask 'er, already."

"But I'm in the _hospital_…"

"Look, mate," Jack said in exasperation, "after yeh ask 'er, you'll prob'ly leave, what, 'bout a year before th' wedding? Yeh gotta 'ave time t' plan an' whatever else people do."

"Where the heck are you going with this?"

"Pipe down, would yeh? I'm gettin' there! So anyways, yeh ask 'er now, the two of yeh can be blissfully married by this time nex' July."

"Sure…"

"Bu' if yeh wait 'til yer out of th' 'ospital, you'll also wanna wait 'til yer completely healed, 'cause after yeh ask 'er she'll prob'ly jump on yeh – or _somethin'_," he added suggestively.

"Jack!"

"So if yeh don' ask 'er now, yer prob'ly lookin' at – I dunno – maybe a month before yeh can? Maybe more? Then yeh prob'ly won' get married 'til a' least nex' August or later."

"Your logic baffles me, Jack."

"Look, kid," Jack said, irritated, "it's all 'bout waitin' fer th' opportune moment. So yeh can either ask 'er now an' stop 'er thinkin' 'bout nothin' but whether or not yer gonna die – "

"Is she really still thinking about that?" Will asked, surprised.

" – or yeh can let 'er worry 'bout it an' not ask 'er fer at least another month."

"She really still thinks I might die?" Will asked quietly.

"Yeh nearly did, Will! I was 'ere, I saw it! Yer heart _stopped_. It yeh coulda seen th' look on 'er face, you'd know she's still worried 'bout yeh." Jack stood up. "I'm gonna go before she comes back. You _ask 'er_. All right?"

Will looked down at the ring in his hand. "All right."

* * *

Aaaaand Will's alive! And is he about to _propose?_ Tune in next week to find out ;)


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Elizabeth returned a few minutes after Jack left. She sat in the same chair next to Will's bed, moving it closer so she could comfortably hold his hand.

"So what did my father say?"

"He heard about what happened on the news," Will said quietly. "He just wanted to ask me about it."

He thought Elizabeth might have been about to ask another question, but before she could, he said, "You know I'm not going anywhere, right?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"It's just… It seems like you're worried that I might still… die."

Elizabeth looked down at their hands, at their fingers intertwined together. "I'm just afraid of losing you, is all. It might sound crazy, but I have this – this picture in my head… sometime in the future – I don't know when, but sometime – we're married, and I can see us playing with our kids, and reading to them, and tucking them into bed…" She stopped suddenly, turning red as she realized how much she'd just said. She glanced up at Will, and was surprised to see that he was smiling.

He squeezed her hand. "What do they look like?"

Relieved, Elizabeth smiled back at him. "There's a boy who looks just like you, with your curly hair and your big brown eyes. And there's a girl with long, dark red hair and green eyes. She looks like my mother."

"That's not right," Will said, shaking his head. "Because there has to be another girl, and she has brown hair and hazel eyes, and she looks just like her mother."

"Then there has to be another boy, to even things out."

"What does he look like?"

"You."

Will laughed. "I thought the first boy looked like me."

"Maybe they're twins," Elizabeth giggled.

Will shook his head, smiling. "Is that really what you see in our future?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah."

"I want that, too," Will said softly. "And I want to give you that." Heart pounding, he slipped his hand under the edge of his blanket and pulled out the small box. "I want that future with you more than anything else. So this is a promise that we'll have it… and that you will never lose me." He opened the box.

"Will you marry me?"

* * *

Elizabeth froze, staring at the ring in her boyfriend's hand, suddenly forgetting where she was, what was happening, everything. Nothing existed except Will and that ring.

"Elizabeth?"

She took a deep breath, suddenly snapping back to reality. "W-what?"

His eyes were so warm, and he had that relaxed, easy smile on his face that she loved so much. He took both of her hands in his, holding them tightly, and whispered the question again.

"Will you marry me?"

She swallowed hard, tears filling her eyes. "I want that future with you. I want it _now_."

"Is that a yes?"

Elizabeth began to laugh and cry at the same time. "_Yes_." She needed to be closer to him, to be able to hug him and kiss him, but he was still in this hospital bed, and she didn't want to hurt him.

Beaming uncontrollably, Will slid as close as he could to the far side of the bed, motioning toward the empty space next to him. "Have a seat."

"Is that even allowed?" Elizabeth laughed.

Will shrugged, still smiling. "I don't know. Who cares? These are special circumstances. Just don't touch any bandages and we'll be fine."

Needing no further convincing, Elizabeth slid onto the bed next to him and kissed him.

"I love you, William Turner."

"I love you," Will whispered, sliding the ring onto her finger as she curled up next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "And nothing is going to keep us apart."

* * *

"You were going to ask me that night, weren't you? The night this happened, I mean," Elizabeth asked, brushing her fingers lightly over one of his bandages.

Will kissed the top of her head. "Yeah. That was the plan, anyway."

Elizabeth hugged him tighter, pushing thoughts of that night firmly out of her head. "So when are we having the wedding?" she asked with an enormous smile.

Will grinned warmly at her enthusiasm. "You're the bride. You pick a date."

"How about May?" Elizabeth said happily. "I've always liked May."

"You know that only gives us nine or ten months, right? Or were you thinking of waiting until the year after next?"

"Heavens, no," Elizabeth answered incredulously. "Nine or ten months is long enough, thanks."

Will laughed. "All right, next May, then. Where's the ceremony?"

"Umm… on the beach?"

"The beach?"

"Well, it was between that and an actual ship."

Will laughed again. "What are we, pirates?"

"You make swords for a living, Will."

"Touché. So beach wedding, then. And what are the colors?"

"Blue and… um… what's your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Oh. So blue and blue, I guess. Are you laughing at me, Mr. Turner?"

"Yes," Will grinned. "But only because you're cute when you're excited. And also because we now have to tell a wedding planner that we're pirates and our colors are blue and blue."

"Well, if we're pirates, then we don't need a wedding planner. All we have to do is ask Jack for help."

"Bad idea. He'll show up with a hat and bandana. And a sword. And a bottle of rum. And he might _actually_ steal a ship. You never know."

"It would make for a very interesting wedding," Elizabeth mused.

Will had to agree. "I suppose it would."

* * *

Bill couldn't help the jolt of fear that he felt when his phone rang and Will's name appeared on the screen. He picked it up and held it for a moment. _Please be okay, kid._ He answered it. "Hello?"

"Dad?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "What's up, kiddo?"

There was a brief pause, and then: "I'm getting married."

* * *

"You should call your dad, too," Will said as he hung up.

Elizabeth smiled apprehensively. "Yeah, I know. I'm just a little nervous. I mean… he'll approve, won't he? It's just, he's only seen you once, right? When he was here earlier?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Will said placatingly. "Call him."

"Okay." She pulled out her phone, speed-dialed her father. "Hi, Dad. I, uh… I have some news." She paused, and Will squeezed her hand.

"Did he ask you?" Mr. Swann said knowingly.

"Did he – _what?_" Elizabeth stared at Will, who was laughing quietly. "You told my dad?"

"No. I _asked_ your dad. I wasn't going to have his daughter marry a man he'd never even met, was I?"

"He stopped by a few weeks ago to introduce himself," Mr. Swann said pleasantly. "And he also fixed the knocker on the front door."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at Will. "You fixed the front door?"

Will shrugged. "He asked me to. And the absence of a knocker bothered me. Okay, it was mostly because it bothered me."

Elizabeth leaned against him, laughing, and said into the phone, "You really told him he could propose?"

"Of course. He presented a very convincing argument. I even wrote some of it down in case he wants to use it as wedding vows later on."

Elizabeth laughed again. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, sweetheart. You two will come by for dinner some time, of course? Once Will is out of the hospital, obviously."

"Of course. I'll call you later, okay?"

"All right."

"Bye, Dad." Elizabeth tossed her phone onto the bed, leaned back against Will. "He wrote down some of what you said that day in case you want to use it as wedding vows," she said with a grin.

"That's not a bad idea, actually. It was good stuff."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Rather poetic, really."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hm. I don't want to liken it to Shakespeare, but it was almost as good as Shakespeare. One of his sonnets, maybe."

"Will?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up." Before he could answer, she silenced him with a kiss.

* * *

Review if you're as excited as I am that Will finally PROPOSED!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"When are they letting me out of here?"

"I don't know, Will." Elizabeth sighed in exasperation. Now that he was healing, Will had spent most of the last week testing her patience with a never-ending stream of questions regarding his release from the hospital.

"I mean, I'm doing a lot better now, right? You can tell when they change the bandages. The only thing I'm going to die of at this point is boredom."

Elizabeth laughed in spite of herself. "You are not going to _die_ of boredom, William."

"That's debatable," he muttered sullenly.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Well, I have to go to work on occasion. And I do have classes, you know."

"I know," Will grinned. "So you can become an ultra-talented, world-famous architect and knock the socks off of everybody who's ever designed a building."

"Exactly," Elizabeth laughed. "Tell you what. How about if I bring you some books later?"

"You know I don't really read much…"

"I'll pick good ones," Elizabeth promised, grinning slightly.

"…All right. Thanks."

"Anything to keep you from dying of boredom, love," Elizabeth teased.

"If you _really_ cared about that, you'd smuggle me out of here," Will muttered under his breath as Elizabeth got up to leave.

She stuck her head back around the door. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Don't forget the books."

She had to laugh again. "I won't. And I'll work on smuggling you out next week."

Will smiled grudgingly. "You've got good ears."

* * *

"Wot th' 'ell're yeh doin', mate?"

Will raised an eyebrow. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm reading."

"I didn' know yeh could read."

Will feigned throwing his book at Jack, laughing when he flinched.

"All righ', fine. I didn' know yeh _liked_ t' read."

Will shrugged. "Neither did I. Elizabeth brought me some books to stop me complaining about how bored I was."

"T' stop yeh whinin', yeh mean. What'd she give yeh?"

"Lord of the Rings."

"Tha's one o' yer dad's favorites isn' it? An' there's tha' guy in th' movies who looks jus' like yeh!"

"Yes, it is. And no, he doesn't!"

"Does too. 'e looks _exactly_ like yeh, mate."

"Jack, if this weren't Elizabeth's book, I swear I really would throw it at you."

"Good thing it is Lizzy's book, then," Jack bantered airily. "So did yeh ask 'er, or what?"

Will grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah."

"An'?"

"And what? She said yes, of course."

"Bloody 'ell," Jack said, shaking his head. "I guess tha' means I really do 'ave t' be yer best man."

Will gave him an incredulous look. "What? Did you think she was going to say no?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeh never know. Tell yeh wha', though, I hafta ge' goin'. I've got a bachelor party t' plan, after all." He winked cheekily and stood up.

Will frowned apprehensively. "What are you thinking, Jack?"

"Oh, nothin'," Jack insisted innocently. "Don' yeh worry 'bout it." He laughed suddenly. "I bet yeh won' be able t' look 'lizabeth in th' face fer weeks!"

"Wha – Jack! Get back in here!"

Jack was already gone.

"Aw, hell…"

* * *

"You've gotta get me out of here, Dad."

Bill laughed. "Getting a little bored, kid?"

"A _little?_ I'm going _crazy_, Dad! I have _nothing_ to do! _Nothing!_ A guy can only sleep so much, you know!"

"What happened to those books Elizabeth brought you?"

"I finished them."

"Already?"

"What part of _nothing to bloody do_ did you not understand?"

"All right, all right, calm down. Do you want me to ask someone if they know when you'll be released?"

"Yes! _Please!_"

Bill rolled his eyes. "Would you relax? They'll throw me out for getting you all worked up if you don't keep your blood pressure down."

Will sighed. "Fine. I'm calm. Now ask someone?"

"Okay, I'm going." He shook his head. "Honestly, how old are you?" He made his way down the hall to the nurse's station.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find Dr. Hoo?"

A voice behind him answered. "Right behind you."

Bill turned to see Will's doctor smiling mildly at him.

"I assume you wanted to talk to me about Will? I was actually just on my way to his room now." He gestured for Bill to walk back down the hall with him. "Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly," Bill said. "He's just getting… restless."

"Ahh," Hoo said, smiling understandingly. "He wants to know when he can be discharged, I assume?"

Bill nodded. "He would very much love to know that. Actually, I would too now that you mention it. He's complaining like a ten-year-old."

Will glared at them as they entered his room. "I'm bored, Dad, not deaf."

Hoo smiled slightly. "Then I have good news for you. You're healing well, and you test results are negative for infections. You can be discharged soon, as long as you stick to a few guidelines."

"How soon?"

"Very. Quite possibly tomorrow."

"What guidelines?"

"Rest, mostly. You should stay at home for a little while. I've been informed that you're a blacksmith, so you certainly won't be going to work. Try to keep physical activity to a minimum. The less strain you put on yourself, the faster you'll heal. Understand?"

Will shrugged. "I suppose."

"And if anything happens, _anything_ at all, you should return to the hospital immediately," Hoo said pointedly. "All right?"

"…Fine."

"Good," Hoo said pleasantly. "You can go ahead and make your arrangements for getting home, then. You certainly won't be taking that motorcycle of yours."

Will raised an eyebrow curiously. "How did you know I have a motorcycle?"

"You friend Jack's been riding it. He said it was yours."

Will stared at him for a few seconds, then reached for his phone. "If you'll excuse me, I have a call to make. And a murder to plan."

As they stepped out into the hall, Hoo said to Bill, "I'm guessing he didn't give Jack permission to ride his bike."

Bill laughed. "Never. He bought that piece of junk, stripped it down, fixed it, and put it back together when he was eighteen. He's a little protective."

"I see," Hoo chuckled. Then, looking a bit more serious, he added, "Now, about those guidelines…"

Bill nodded. "Elizabeth and I will make sure he follows them."

"I thought so," Hoo said, nodding as well. "We'll discharge him tomorrow, then. And I know it's hard, but you can stop worrying," he added with a slight smile. "He'll be fine."

Bill allowed himself to smile as well, relief showing in his eyes as he shook hands with Hoo. "Thank you, Doctor."

* * *

Will made a face as Elizabeth pushed him lightly toward the lift in his apartment building.

"The lift? Really? I think I can handle the stairs, Liz."

She gave him another push. "Nope. No stairs. No strenuous activity."

"That stairs are _not_ strenuous."

"Strenuous enough." She tugged on his arm as the doors slid open. "Come on."

Will leaned against the back wall as the doors closed. "So this is what I'm stuck with, then? No bike, no work, no _stairs._ I'm used to being active, Liz, I need to _move_."

Elizabeth stepped closer to him. "Well, I can't let you do that, but I _can_ do this…" she said, slipping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him.

He kissed her back, smiling slightly as he did so. The lift rose to his floor and the doors slid open again. And someone nearby cleared their throat. Will turned to see one of his elderly neighbors standing in the doorway of the lift, a disapproving frown on her face.

"Uh… hi, Mrs. Noble…" He pulled Elizabeth out into the hall as Mrs. Noble stepped past them, muttering something about 'young people these days.'

Will grinned sheepishly at Elizabeth. "Well… that was embarrassing."

She giggled. "We're getting _married_. I don't think we can be blamed for having the occasional snog in a lift."

Will grinned and took her hand, feeling the ring on her finger. "We're getting married. I love the sound of that." He unlocked his door and stepped to the side so Elizabeth could enter first.

"Always the gentleman," she teased, smiling. "And people say chivalry is dead."

Will shook his head as he followed her inside. "Maybe chivalry wouldn't be dead if people spent more time being chivalrous and less time standing around remarking that chivalry is dead."

Elizabeth laughed. "Touché."

Will moved across the living room, sank down on the couch with a barely-audible sigh. Elizabeth sat down next to him.

"Tired already?"

Will shrugged, wincing slightly. "A little. It's just a lot to recover from, I guess."

Elizabeth played with his hair. "I know." She let her hand drop down to his chest, her fingers brushing lightly over the bandages that were now hidden by his t-shirt. "I was there. I saw… everything. I know what you're recovering from."

Will wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. "I know you saw it all," he whispered into her hair. "I know how it feels, sitting in a hospital, knowing someone you love could die at any time. You feel scared and… and _angry_, because you're so helpless." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I understand."

Elizabeth held onto him just as tightly. "The other end of things can't be much fun either."

"Well, I don't really know, to be honest. I was unconscious for most of it."

"Not at first," Elizabeth said quietly. "And the look in her eyes… It was heartbreaking. It was like… like I could feel the same pain you felt, because it was all there in your eyes when you looked at me." She pulled away slightly, just enough to see his face. "I can't forget it. I have dreams about it every night. Nightmares."

Will brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. "I do, too." He pulled her back into a tight embrace. "Stay with me. I'll hold onto you."

She smiled against his chest. "And I'll hold onto you right back."

He rested his head on hers, an identical smile on his face. "I know."

* * *

So yes, I went there with the Will-Orlando thing again. And I shamelessly threw in yet another Doctor Who reference. But hey, how cute was that ending, right? ;)


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

~ Six months later ~

Will stared at a list of napkin colors, frowning in some confusion.

"Hey, Liz?"

She looked up from a binder full of pictures of wedding cakes. "Yeah?"

"What on earth is ecru?"

"What?"

"Ecru. It's one of the colors listed here."

Their wedding planner heard him, hurried to pull out a sample. "This is ecru."

"Oh." Will glanced quizzically at Elizabeth. "When did we stop calling that beige?"

She giggled, holding out her binder for him to look at. "What do you think of this one?"

"I think it's failing to obey some very basic laws of gravity, for one thing. Blimey, that's impressive."

Elizabeth smacked him lightly with the ecru napkin, laughing. "I meant do you like it?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

She considered the picture for a moment. "Yeah."

"How big is it?"

"Um... very."

"How many people are actually coming to this wedding?"

"I'm not sure." Elizabeth frowned, trying to remember her guest list. "Not all that many. Certainly not enough to eat all this." She grinned. "But look at it this way... the less they eat, the more we get to take home and eat ourselves."

"Very true. All right, I'm sold."

"We might not need to cook for weeks."

Will laughed. "I'm starting to think you're trying to fatten me up or something."

"Are you kidding? The way you work, you'll have it burned off in an hour. Maybe less. You could eat the entire contents of a doughnut shop and not gain a pound."

Will grinned somewhat smugly. "I'm just special like that."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Lucky."

"I could start a blacksmithing school and have that as the basis for my advertising campaign: Become a blacksmith! You'll never have to worry about dieting again!"

* * *

"I swear, Elizabeth, you are even worse at dress shopping than your fiancé is at ring shopping." Ana sat with her feet up on a chair, skimming through a bridal magazine.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "You went ring shopping with Will?"

"Unfortunately. It took _all day_. _Five_ stores. And now there's you, trying on eighteen _thousand _dresses..."

Elizabeth smirked. "I'd apologize, but I'm really not sorry. This is fun."

Ana rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Well, I'm glad _you're_ having fun."

"What do you think of this one?"

"It's nice. Better than the last one, anyway."

"Should I try it?"

Ana gaze an exasperated sigh. "Do you _want_ to try it?"

"I don't know…"

"_Liz_…"

"I don't know! I _like_ all of them, but I haven't found one I _love_ yet."

"All right, I'll tell you what we're going to do," Ana said, tossing her magazine aside and standing up. "You are going to sit down in this chair. I am going to show you dresses, say, three at a time. You will pick one favorite from each group. We will do this until you've narrowed the field to a final three. Then you will try on those three and choose your favorite."

"That sounds complicated."

"Well, the alternative is that you continue with what you've been doing and try on _every dress they have_. And believe me, my nerves can't take that. Now sit down."

With a resigned shrug, Elizabeth sank into Ana's recently vacated chair, while Ana herself disappeared into a display of dresses. She emerged a few minutes later with three options.

"All right… which one?"

* * *

An hour and a half later, the twenty-seven 'first round' dress, as Ana had dubbed them, had been whittled down to nine 'semi-finalists,' from which Elizabeth had at last selected a final group of three contenders. Ana hung them up on a rack side-by-side.

"And here they are!" she proclaimed dramatically. "Our finalists!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I think we've found your true calling, Ana. Sports commentary. Look into it."

"Ha ha," Ana laughed sarcastically. "Now… which one is your favorite? And don't forget, the one you pick now is _the_ dress. It's the dress you'll walk down the aisle in, the dress you'll dance with Will for the first time as husband and wife in, the dress he'll rip off of you with his teeth – "

"Ana!"

"Bet it's true, though," Ana grinned. "You're blushing. It's _so_ true."

"Just because I'm blushing doesn't mean it's true!"

Ana shook her head. "Denial."

"Oh, shut up," Elizabeth said, turning away to hide an embarrassed smile.

Ana laughed. "Fine. But not until you pick a dress. An easily removable one."

"_Ana_…"

"I'm just trying to keep your future hubby's best interests at heart!" Ana said innocently. "Someone has to represent William in this deal – "

"The one on the left!" Elizabeth finally interrupted her. "I want the one on the left! Okay?"

Ana grinned. "Good choice. I knew that would work."

Elizabeth threw the bridal magazine at her.

* * *

"These invitations are scaring me…"

Elizabeth laughed, looked up to see Will staring at the envelope he'd just addressed. "Dare I ask why?"

"I'm pretty sure I've never met ninety percent of the people who are coming to our wedding."

Elizabeth took the envelope from him. "This is my great aunt on my mom's side. And she probably won't come, anyway. She's getting old, doesn't really like to travel much anymore."

"Hmm."

Elizabeth laced her fingers through Will's. "Are you sure there's no one else you want to invite?"

Will shrugged. "There's no one left. My dad didn't have any siblings, and neither did his dad or his mom. My mom had a sister I never really knew, but she died years ago."

"No kids?"

"I think two, but I don't even know their names. I asked Dad, he doesn't know either."

"But they're your cousins," Elizabeth insisted. "Surely they'd like to know that you're getting married."

"My mum died almost fourteen years ago, Liz," Will said quietly. "The only connection I could have had to them would have been through her. They probably don't even remember that I exist, if they ever knew in the first place."

"So all that leaves you is…"

"My dad, Jack, Ana, and a few of the guys on our football team."

"And Ana is my maid of honor."

"Yeah. So I've got… six. Six people."

Elizabeth leaned against his shoulder. "We're not going to do bride-side, groom-side seating, then. I'll have some of my family sit with yours."

"Yeah." Will gave her a small, almost sad smile. "You know, I never really thought about it before. Just how little family I have."

Elizabeth smiled. "I can help with that. You said you wanted a houseful of kids, I believe? I think we could shoot for an even dozen, don't you?" she joked.

Will laughed. "Sounds good to me."

"And besides," Elizabeth added a little more seriously, "once we're married, my family is your family, remember?"

"Yeah… assuming they don't hate me. They're not going to hate me, are they?"

Elizabeth looked at him in surprise. "No, Will! Why would they hate you?"

"I don't know," Will shrugged. "Your dad did at first."

"He didn't _hate_ you."

"Okay, maybe not. But he didn't like me either. I want your family to like me."

"They'll like you," Elizabeth said. "I promise."

"And what makes you say that?"

"You only think they'll hate you because you've seen what my dad is like. He's rich, he's high class, and he doesn't like his daughter dating someone – "

"Poor?"

"I was going to say less rich. And anyway, the rest of my family are all a bit more… down to earth."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, they don't all own chains of bookstores. All they'll see is a handsome, talented, hard-working, sexy young man who loves me very much," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"Did you just call me handsome _and_ sexy?"

Elizabeth snorted. "_That's_ what you took away from that?"

Will looped his arms around her waist, pulled her toward him. "Hey, it's not every day a guy gets called handsome _and_ sexy. This is a big moment."

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm glad you feel that way."

Will kissed the top of her head, hugging her tighter. "You're sure they'll like me?"

Elizabeth gave him a reassuring smile. "They'll _love_ you."

* * *

Because how can you _not_ love Will Turner? :)


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"So are you ready to close down for two whole weeks?"

Will looked up to see Elizabeth smiling at him from the doorway of his shop. He took a quick glance around the front room, peered through the open door to the forge behind him.

"I think so. Everything's shut off. All the orders that were due in the next two weeks have been picked up. Everything due after that is finished. I think we're good to go."

Elizabeth leaned against the counter, grinning. "Good." She looked around. "You know, I don't think I've actually been in here in _months_. We've both been working so much to save up for our honeymoon, and then there was all the wedding planning…" She trailed off, her eyes on the sword display on the wall. "Will…"

"Yeah?"

She turned to face him. "Where's your sword?"

"What?"

"Your sword. Your _favorite_ sword. The one with all the gold inlay, the one you said you worked on for three weeks?"

Will busied himself with locating the key to the forge. Elizabeth tugged on his arm, spun him around.

"_Will_."

She couldn't help noticing that he didn't quite meet her eyes when he answered, "I sold it."

"Why?"

He shrugged vaguely. "Someone wanted it. Offered me a good price."

"Will…" She slipped off her engagement ring, held it up in front of him. "You sold it so you could buy this, didn't you?"

Will finally looked up at her as he answered quietly, "Yeah." He glanced briefly at the swords on the wall. "Before I started looking, I sold a couple other really nice ones that I'd been hanging onto. I thought that'd be enough, but… well, it wasn't."

"Who did you sell it to?"

"I don't remember," Will said unconvincingly.

"William Turner, we are getting _married_ tomorrow," Elizabeth said firmly. "You are not lying to me now. Who did you sell it to?"

Will looked distinctly embarrassed. "…James Norrington."

Elizabeth stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"He was in the Pearl one day when I was talking to Jack about how I wasn't sure if I could afford a really nice ring. He heard me and said he'd consider buying a sword." Will shrugged. "He liked that one."

"Did he know you were proposing to _me?_"

"Liz, there are three pictures of us in this room alone," Will pointed out with a faint smile.

"Oh. Right."

"He said you looked really happy, and if I was the one who made you feel like that, then I deserved you."

Elizabeth looked slightly stunned. "Wow." She moved around the counter and wrapped her arms around Will, resting her head against his chest. "You sold my ex-boyfriend your favorite sword so you could buy me an engagement ring."

Will leaned into her embrace, burying his nose in her hair. "You're worth it."

* * *

"_Jack, what the hell did you do?"_

Jack stuck his head through the doorway, his face the very picture of innocence. "Wha'?"

"What the hell did you get on my shirt?"

Jack stared at his best friend, looking affronted. "Wha' makes yeh think it was me?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Because it smells like alcohol, idiot."

"Oh."

"I'm getting married in an _hour_, Jack." Will ran his hand through his hair distractedly. "Elizabeth is going to _kill_ me. Actually no, you know what? She's going to kill _you_," he amended.

"No' if I tell 'er it was you," Jack grinned.

"I don't drink rum."

"Damn you."

Will fought the urge to roll his eyes again. "You know what, Jack? Go find my dad."

"Wha'?"

"_Go find my dad!_ We're exactly the same size, he can switch shirts with me! And hurry up, before Ana comes in here and goes and tells Elizabeth that my shirt is dirty."

"Are yeh sayin' my life could depend on this, mate?"

"Pretty much."

Jack sighed melodramatically. "All righ', all righ', I'm going." He got up and ambled unhurriedly out of the room. As the door swung shut behind him, Ana slipped inside. Will hastily stuffed his shirt out of sight.

"Will! Why aren't you dressed?"

"I – er – well, uh… okay, we had a bit of a problem. But we're solving it! We are fixing it, and eveything'll be fine! And, uh… please don't tell Elizabeth," he finished pleadingly.

Ana rolled her eyes. "I won't. But she wants to see you – well – not _see_ you – well – she can see _you_, but you can't see _her_ – "

"Are you serious? I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts still, she'll kill me – "

"So get dressed as much as you can! And _hurry up!_"

"All right, calm down… and go wait outside, would you?"

"Yeah, I'm going…"

Will emerged from the room a minute later in the proper pants and shoes, but still wearing his t-shirt.

"Seriously? Where's your shirt?"

"That's, um, sort of the problem. But like I said, we're fixing it, I swear!"

"Men," Ana muttered, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go." She steered Will down two hallways and a flight of stairs to Elizabeth's hotel room, where she knocked on the door.

"Elizabeth? I've got him!"

A hassled-sounding voice from inside answered, "_Finally!_ Will, close your eyes!"

"What?"

"You're not allowed to see me before the wedding! Now close your eyes!"

"Okay, okay, they're closed – whoa!" The door opened suddenly, and someone yanked him inside. "Liz! What's wrong?"

"Nothing – I'm just – is everything okay? Why aren't you dressed?"

"Er, no reason. Everything's fine. I, uh… I haven't gotten around to it… yet."

"William Turner, you are lying and you know it, but I'm not going to ask you why, because there's obviously a problem, and if there's a problem, I'm going to panic!" She took a deep breath. "Is there a problem? Please tell me there's not a problem – "

"Elizabeth! Calm down – wait, where are you?"

"Right in front of you," she said, her voice moving closer to him.

He reached out and found her shoulders. "All right, calm down. There _was_ a problem, but now there is _not_ a problem, because it's taken care of. All right? Everything is taken care of. We're going to get married in an hour – "

"Forty minutes."

" – in forty minutes, and everything is going to be _perfect_. All right? Come here." He pulled her into his arms, and they held each other tightly. "Are you okay now?"

"I guess," Elizabeth answered quietly, her voice slightly muffled by his t-shirt. "I'm just a little nervous, is all."

"I know. I am, too."

"…are your eyes still closed?"

Will laughed. "Yes."

"All right." Elizabeth took a step back, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm happy. Now go get ready."

"Where's the door – ow!" Ana grabbed his arm and pulled him back outside. He finally opened his eyes as the door swung shut behind him, glancing at his watch.

"I'm getting married in thirty-five minutes."

Ana nodded. "Yep."

"And I'm not even dressed yet."

She shook her head. "Nope."

"_Shit_."

Grinning, Ana said again, "Yep."

"Will!" Bill emerged suddenly from around the corner. "Where the hell have you been? Jack tells me I'm supposed to switch shirts with you, and then we get to your room and you've disappeared!"

"I know, I know…" Will said wearily. "Let's go…"

* * *

"What the hell were you drinking, Jack?" Bill asked, examining Will's stained shirt.

"Rum."

"Rum isn't red, you sodding idiot," Will said irritably.

"…there may have been a bit o' cranberry juice involved as well."

Bill glanced at his son with a raised eyebrow. "You are so lucky we're the same size."

"I know it."

"You kids do know th' wedding's in half an hour, righ'?"

Both Turners intoned in unison, "Shut up, Jack."

"And would you go get dressed? _Without_ spilling drinks on everything?" Will added. "Actually, preferably without drinking."

"Yer takin' all the fun out o' this wedding, mate."

Bill unceremoniously shoved Jack outside and locked the door behind him. "We'd better get a move on if you want your best man to be sober enough to stand."

Will shrugged. "Well, the more drunk he is, the more Elizabeth'll yell at him, and that's always fun."

* * *

"Jack isn't going to be drunk, is he?" Elizabeth glanced at Ana in her mirror.

Ana just shrugged somewhat apologetically. "I really don't know. If ever there was a time for Jack to be sober, you'd think it would be his best friend's wedding. But then again," she added, "I've never known Jack to not be at least a _little_ drunk."

"I don't suppose you want to go find him and make sure he's not drinking?" Elizabeth suggested hopefully.

"Not really…"

"Please?"

Ana sighed. "All right, fine. But if he bludgeons me with a rum bottle, you have to give a eulogy at my funeral detailing exactly how my untimely death was all your fault."

"Deal," Elizabeth grinned.

* * *

"I'm getting married in twenty minutes."

Will stood in front of a mirror, staring at his tuxedo. Bill came and stood next to him.

"Your bowtie is crooked."

A tiny grin crossed Will's face.

Bill rolled his eyes. "You just thought of that weird show you always watch, didn't you?"

"Bowties are cool, Dad. I can't help it." The smile faded from his face. "Seriously, though… I'm ready for this, right?"

"Do you love her?"

Will had never looked so sincere in his life. "Absolutely."

Bill slung his arm loosely around his son's shoulders. "You're ready. I know it."

"How?"

Bill considered Will's refection for a moment. "It's in your eyes. They're your mom's, you know. I could always tell when she was dead set on something. You have that same look."

"Yeah?" Will sounded faintly pleased.

"Yeah."

"Do you… do you miss her?" Will asked hesitantly.

"Sometimes," Bill admitted. "Not as much as you do, I'm sure."

"I wish she was here," Will said quietly, wistfully.

"I know," Bill said, just as quietly. "She'd be proud if she was. I know I am."

Will allowed himself to smile. "Thanks, Dad."

Bill glanced at his watch, clapped his son on the back. "Fifteen minutes. You ready to go get married, kiddo?"

Will took a deep breath, grinning nervously as he attempted to flatten a bit of his unruly hair. "Yeah." He laughed. _"Allons-y."_

* * *

Elizabeth patted her hair, tucked a few loose strands back into place, and turned to Ana.

"Well… how do I look?"

Ana smiled at her friend. "Amazing. Will's going to fall in love with you all over again."

Elizabeth smiled as well as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, absentmindedly twirling her engagement ring on her finger.

"Are you nervous?" Ana asked.

"A little," Elizabeth admitted. "I really don't know why. I mean, it's Will waiting for me out there, not some stranger. My Will," she added softly, more to herself than to Ana.

"Being nervous is normal," Ana said reassuringly. "I bet Will's feeling the same right now. But I promise, this is going to be the best day of your life."

"Thanks, Ana," Elizabeth grinned.

There was a knock on the door. "Is the bride ready?"

Elizabeth got up and opened it, smiling at her father. "I'm ready. Are you my escort, then?"

"Of course." He offered her his arm, and she laced hers through it. "You look beautiful, little girl. Your William is a lucky man."

Elizabeth laughed a little shyly. "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

Guess what happens next! :D

Review if you're super excited for the _wedding_!


	24. Chapter 24

So obvoiusly it's been a really, really long time since I last updated. I haven't given up on this story. I got a job and it was the end of my senior year of high school - and apparently we were somehow mysteriously behind in every single class - and I needed to take a bit of time off until everything settled down. But now I've graduated and I'm settling in - more or less - at work, so Every Shade of Blue is back in business! Virtual apology hugs and cookies to all my readers who have been waiting for a new chapter. I love you all!

* * *

Chapter 24

Waves crashed pleasantly in the background as the wedding march began to play. The day was comfortably warm, but not hot, and the beach was bright and sunny, with barely a cloud in sight. And Elizabeth Swann, in a beautiful, flowing, white dress, smiled because she could see him, she could see William Turner standing there waiting for her, looking downright gorgeous in his tuxedo – she made a mental note to get him to dress up more often – with the biggest smile on his face that she had ever seen. His dark eyes were locked on hers as she began to walk down the aisle, holding tightly to her father's arm.

And then she was there. She was standing next to Will, who didn't seem at all able to stop smiling. She hugged her father, and he kissed her on the cheek, and then Will had stepped forward and her hand was in his instead of her dad's. As they both turned to face the minister, Will leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

"You look perfect."

She squeezed a his hand tightly, pressing a little closer to him as the minister began the ceremony.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

* * *

_Vows. Oh my God, what are the vows? I forget the vows. Oh God, oh God, oh God –_

"I, William Jonathan Turner, take you, Elizabeth Ann Swann, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for – " His voice cracked and he swallowed hard, desperately trying to remember what came next. His gaze drifted past Elizabeth's head to Ana, who was silently and emphatically mouthing something at him.

_"Richer! For richer, for poorer!"_

He grinned slightly. "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part." He let out a deep breath, and Elizabeth smiled at him, the laughter in her eyes telling him that she knew exactly what had just happened.

"I, Elizabeth Ann Swann, take you, William Jonathan Turner, to be my husband – "

Will could feel a stupid grin beginning to form. _Don't do that, you idiot, don't do anything stupid –_

" – to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health – "

_Don't do anything stupid, Turner!_

" – to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

_Don't do anything – _"Great!" _Dammit!_

Everyone who was close enough to hear him laughed, and Will turned redder than Elizabeth would ever have thought possible. She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing with everyone else.

Even the minister seemed to be struggling to control a grin, but nevertheless, he managed the next words loud and clear:

"I now pronounce you husband and wife..." He looked with some amusement at Will, who was still spectacularly red. "You may kiss the bride."

And then they each took a step forward, Elizabeth flung her arms around Will's neck, and her feet left the ground for a few seconds as they kissed, the guests applauded, Jack started to wolf-whistle, and one of the other groomsmen elbowed him in the stomach.

* * *

The guests were gone, on their way to the reception, and the wedding party was alone on the beach with the nervous-looking photographer, who bobbed and weaved around them, trying to arrange them for photos, all the while muttering curses about the the wind, sand, and outdoor weddings under his breath. As Elizabeth posed for pictures with her father and her bridesmaids, the men stood off to one side, and Bill approached his son, grinning proudly.

"Congratulations, kid."

Will grinned. "Thanks, Dad."

Bill shook his head, laughing. "'Great.' I cannot _believe_ you said that."

"Shut up," Will muttered, blushing again.

Jack wandered over to join in on his favorite pass time: teasing Will. "I can' wait t' 'ear wha' 'lizabeth 'as t' say 'bout it." He laughed. "Hell, yeh even fergot th' vows! Don' think I didn' see Ana tellin' yeh wha' t' say."

Will scuffed at the sand with his foot, glaring at Jack. "I forget things when I'm nervous."

"Then yeh better make sure yeh don' ferget wha' t' do when yeh get in bed t'night," Jack quipped.

Will shoved him into the surf while Bill and the other groomsmen looked on and laughed.

* * *

"You look pretty amazing in a tux."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You should find an excuse to wear one more often."

"I could be James Bond next Halloween."

"You'd make a sexy James Bond."

Will and Elizabeth sat huddled together in a secluded corner of their reception hall, finally having found the time for a much-needed moment of rest.

Elizabeth rubbed at her ankle. "These shoes are killing me."

"Take them off."

"And go barefoot?"

"Nope." Grinning, Will pulled a pair of flip-flops out from under his chair.

Elizabeth laughed as she swapped out her heels for the far more comfortable sandals. "You're downright amazing." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "My knight in shining armour. Or rather, my hero in a tux," she corrected herself, smiling.

Will slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "Would you believe I almost asked if I could wear a kilt for the wedding?"

"Are you saying you have a kilt?" Elizabeth laughed.

"I'm Scottish and proud of it," Will grinned. "Of course I have a kilt."

"You should have worn it!"

"I nearly did," Will admitted. "But then I remembered that the tux would have a bow tie."

Elizabeth shook her head with mock severity. "Again with the Doctor Who references, Will?"

"Bow ties are cool, love."

"Hmm. I suppose I should just be grateful that it wasn't a fez."

Will laughed. "We'll make a Whovian out of you ye-"

He was interrupted by Jack, who was standing next to the gift table. "'ey, Will! 'lizabeth! Come over 'ere fer a minute."

Will glanced at Elizabeth and shrugged as they made their way over to join Jack. "What's your problem, then?"

Instead of answering, Jack held out a long, unwrapped wooden box. "This look familiar t' you, mate?"

Will took it, frowning. "Yeah. Very familiar."

Elizabeth peered at it over his shoulder. "That looks like one of the boxes you mount your swords in, doesn't it?"

Will nodded. "Yep. Actually... I think it _is _one of the boxes I mount my swords in." He pointed to a spot just above one of the hinges, where the letters 'WT' were just visible.

"There's a note," Elizabeth said suddenly, bending to pick up a piece of paper from the floor. "'There was a time when it might not have been true, but I can sincerely say now that I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding; it's obvious to me now that you two belong together. Congratulations. P.S., I thought you might like to have this back." She glanced up at Will. "Signed, 'James Norrington.'"

Confused, Will popped the latch and opened the lid of the box. Inside was the magnificent sword with the gold inlay, the last one he had sold to pay for Elizabeth's engagement ring.

Will looked up at Elizabeth. "I don't believe it."

Jack elbowed him lightly in the ribs, grinning. "Looks like yeh've got competition, eh?"

"Shut up, Jack."

Will's musings were interrupted by the sound of a new song beginning to play. Smiling broadly, he put the box back on the table and grabbed Elizabeth's hand. "C'mon! We have to dance to this one!"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow suspiciously as she followed him, trying to hide a smile of her own. "This is from Doctor Who, isn't it?"

"Er... maybe. Okay, yes. But it plays at a wedding reception, so it's perfect, really. Isn't it?"

"This would be shortly before the groom is eaten by a giant spider, yes?"

Will grinned. "You're such a closet Whovian."

"I prefer to think of myself as a nerd by association," Elizabeth grinned back.

Will laughed and pulled her into his arms as they reached the dance floor. "I love you."

"And I love you."

_You pulled me in, you stole my heart, I cannot roam no more._

_Because love it stays within you, it does not wash up on the shore!_

_And a fighting man forgets each cut, each knock, each bruise, each fall,_

_But a fighting man cannot forget why his love don't roam no more._

_Oh, reel me in, my precious girl,_

_Come on, take me home,_

_'Cause my body's tired of traveling,_

_And my heart don't wish to roam._

_Walk with me, my love, my love,_

_Walk tall, walk proud, walk far._

_For you know, my love, you are, you are_

_You are my shining star!_

_Reel my in, my precious girl,_

_Come on, take me home!_

_'Cause my body's tired of traveling,_

_And my heart don't wish to roam!_

* * *

So there you have it! The _WEDDING_ and a few more utterly shameless Doctor Who references! (Apologies to all non-Whovian readers...) What do you think?


	25. Chapter 25

_(You know the rhyme: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes...)_

* * *

Chapter 25

~Six Months Later~

He barely heard the sound of his phone over all the noise he was making at his forge. In the end, it was only when the vibrations caused it to fall out of the pocket of his jacket, which was slung over the back of a chair, that the faint sound finally registered in his mind as his ringtone. Quickly setting aside his work and crossing the room, he scooped it off the floor and checked the notifications. He had four missed calls, all from Elizabeth. _Oops._ He pressed 'return call,' feeling especially guilty when she answered after the first ring.

"Hi, Liz... sorry..."

She sounded slightly amused when she answered. "I married a blacksmith, William. I'm familiar with most of the problems that may arise from the, uh, decibel level. Are you working too hard for me to stop in and see you?"

He laughed sheepishly. "Um, no, I'm good. Are you coming now?"

"Yeah, if that's all right. I just need to tell you something. Something really important."

"Is everything okay?" Will asked, concerned.

Elizabeth smiled, remembering the way he had asked her the exact same question when she had called him the day after their first date. That felt so long ago now, as if she had known Will her entire life. But at the same time, it felt like it had just happened yesterday. Then she realized that Will was still waiting for her answer and hurried to reassure him.

"Everything's great, Will. I've just got some news. I'm leaving now, so I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Okay. I'll clean up a bit for you, shall I?"

She laughed. "You do that?"

Will ended the call and headed for the shop's small bathroom, fully aware that he was most likely an absolute mess. Sure enough, when he peered at his reflection in the mirror over the sink, he saw that not only was he covered in sweat, his t-shirt and face were smeared with soot. Tugging the shirt off, he splashed water on his face and ran his wet hands through his unruly hair, trying to smooth it into some semblance of order. Then, stepping back into the forge, he opened the drawer that contained a stash of clean shirts and pulled one out just as the front door opened.

"Will?" Elizabeth's voice came from the front room. "You back there?"

He stepped through the doorway. "Yep."

"Any particular reason why you don't have a shirt on?" she asked, unable to resist a small, appreciative grin.

In answer, he held up the dirty shirt before tossing it to one side and pulling on the clean one.

"You didn't _have_ to put a new one on, necessarily," Elizabeth teased.

Will shook his head, unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile. "So what's your big news?"

Elizabeth grinned nervously, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "So, um... Well, you know how I haven't been feeling well the past few mornings?"

"Yeah. You went to see a doctor, I take it?"

"Yeah..."

Will was watching her curiously, his head tilted slightly to one side in the way that Elizabeth found irresistibly adorable. She took a deep breath, the nervous smile still on her face. "I saw the doctor and she told me... I'm pregnant."

Will, having just begun to straighten his pile of business cards, instantly dropped them all on the floor.

"Pregnant?"

"Yeah."

His eyes immediately dropped to her stomach as if she would be showing already. "You... there's a – a baby in there?"

Elizabeth nodded patiently. "There sure is."

"We're having a baby?"

"Yes, we are."

Will stared at her blankly for a long moment. And then:

"We're having a baby!" He pulled her against him, and she threw her arms around his neck, laughing. "A _baby!_ An honest-to-goodness _baby! Our_ baby!" He pulled away slightly and pressed a hand to her stomach. "Somewhere in here is _our _baby."

Elizabeth smiled brilliantly at him. "A tiny little Turner."

Will actually giggled as he pulled her back into a tight hug. Then he pulled away again to look at her. "Hey, wait! When are we going to find out if it's a boy or a girl? We need to know what color to paint the room and what color clothes to buy! And we need to start thinking about names! What are we naming him or her? You don't have twins in your family, do you? I don't _think_ I do. I don't know, maybe I do. What if we have twins? We could have a him _and_ a her, or a him and a him, or a her and a her, and then what do we do, because that's a lot to handle – "

"Will! Slow down!" Elizabeth laughed. "They're not going to be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl for a few months yet. And no, I don't think we're going to have twins. And we have nine whole months to worry about colors and clothes and names. Okay?"

"Okay..."

"And besides, if it's a boy, we're obviously naming him William."

"William Turner III? That's an awfully big name for a little person," Will said, laughter in his eyes.

Elizabeth smiled back at him, glad to see that he seemed to have calmed somewhat. "We could call him Liam."

"I like Liam. But if it's a girl we're calling her Elizabeth, right?"

"Not a chance," she scoffed.

"We could call her Beth."

"Not happening, Will."

He raised an eyebrow. "And it's entirely up to you, is it?"

She grinned. "Well, I'll be the one carrying him or her for the next nine months..."

"Touché," he said, smiling slightly. Then he added thoughtfully, "I suppose we need to find a way to actually tell people about this, huh?"

"I suppose we should, yes."

"Who's first, then? One of our dads?"

Elizabeth grinned again. "We could always do a test run down at the Pearl."

* * *

"Hey, Jack."

"'ey, mate. What're you two doin' 'ere in th' middle o' th' day?"

Elizabeth gripped Will's hand and he squeezed it tightly. "Is Ana here, Jack?"

"Yeah, she's in th' back. Why?"

"Well, just get her out here and then we'll tell you."

Jack rolled his eyes and got up to open the door behind the bar. "Ana! Will an' 'lizabeth're 'ere actin' all weird!"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Look who's talking."

Jack glared at him as Ana stepped out of the back room. "Hey, kids. What's going on?"

Will and Elizabeth exchanged a brief glance, then Elizabeth said, "We have some news."

She paused, and Jack said impatiently, "Well, ge' on with it, then!"

Elizabeth decided that, in this case, it simply wasn't worth beating around the bush. "We're having a baby."

Jack and Ana stared at her for a long moment, apparently shocked. And then Jack blurted out, "You, too?"

* * *

"Miss Elizabeth! Your father didn't tell me to expect you today!"

Behind her, Elizabeth heard Will mutter indignantly, "What am I, invisible?" She nudged him gently in the ribs and smiled at her father's butler.

"That's probably because he's not expecting us, Richard. He's not busy today, is he?"

Richard ushered them inside – or, more accurately, he ushered Elizabeth inside. Will slipped in behind her, muttering darkly.

"I believe he's expecting a visitor in about an hour, but he's free now. If you'd like to follow me..."

Elizabeth shook her head, smiling slightly. "I think I can find my own way to my father's office, Richard. It's okay."

Richard nodded politely. "Of course, Miss Elizabeth."

Noticing that Will was momentarily preoccupied with glaring at Richard, who was still steadfastly ignoring him, Elizabeth reached back and grabbed his hand, pulling him up the stairs behind her.

"Honestly, I don't know what your problem with Richard is. He's a nice guy one you get to know him."

"It's not that I have a problem with him; he has a problem with me! I'm telling you, the man hates me."

"He does not..."

"The last time I rode my bike here, he tried to have it towed."

Elizabeth frowned. "Okay, point. Well, if he doesn't like you then that's his problem, not yours. He's the one who can't be bothered to find out how sweet you are." She squeezed his hand and leaned over to kiss him on lightly on the cheek.

Will blushed, but grinned with pleasure nonetheless as they arrived at the door to Elizabeth's father's office, and she knocked softly.

"Come in," a voice called from inside. Will thought he detected a faint tone of surprise.

Elizabeth pushed the door open, and Will noted that her father, rather than sitting at his desk as he had been during Will's first visit, was standing in front of one of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves nearby, holding a few volumes in one arm. There was already a sizable stack on the floor next to him.

"Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise," Mr. Swann said, stepping forward to embrace Elizabeth and shake hands with Will. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Elizabeth glanced briefly at Will, and he nodded encouragingly. She turned back to her father, the same nervous smile on her face that she'd had when she told Will.

"We have some big news."

Mr. Swann looked up sharply, and Will could tell exactly what news he was hoping for.

Elizabeth grinned. "Are you ready to be a granddad?"

Immediately, an enormous smile spread over her father's face, telling Will that he had been exactly right about his expectations.

"You're pregnant!" Mr. Swann exclaimed, reaching out to take both of his daughter's hands in his own. She nodded, laughing, and he pulled her into another hug, smiling at Will over her head. "This is fantastic news! What do you know so far? Have you thought about names?"

Elizabeth couldn't help giggling at how similar her father's reaction was to Will's. "So many questions!" She turned to grin at her husband, and he shrugged sheepishly. Elizabeth laughed again and turned back to her father. "We don't know much yet; I only just found out. But as far as names go, we're thinking of William if it's a boy. I think we'd call him Liam."

"And if it's a girl?"

"I was pushing for Elizabeth," Will chimed in. "She wouldn't go for it."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Nope. Actually, though," she added, "I was thinking about Rachel Ann, after both of our mothers."

Will smiled. "I like it."

Mr. Swann raised an eyebrow. "Almost nine months still til the baby's born, and it's already got a name. Impressive."

Elizabeth clarified for Will. "Mum and Dad didn't decide on my name until a week before I was born."

"That's nothing," Will countered, making a face. "I was three weeks old before my parents named me after my dad. I think they ran out of ideas."

"How on earth do you even know that?" a familiar voice asked suddenly from the doorway behind them.

Will spun around in surprise. "_Dad?"_

Bill Turner smiled easily, shaking hands with Mr. Swann. "Wasn't expecting to see you kids here. What's the occasion?"

Will chose to ignore the question for the time being. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Mr. Swann offered an explanation. "At your wedding, Bill and I discovered that we have a similar taste in literature. I invited him for the weekend."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Will asked his dad.

"I was going to stop in a surprise you tomorrow. I thought you'd be working today."

"I was," Will said, nodding. "But then Elizabeth came and gave me some news."

Bill turned curiously to Elizabeth, noticing Mr. Swann's smile. "I have a feeling you all know something I don't."Elizabeth decided to tell him the same way she'd told her father. "Are you ready to be a granddad?"

He stared at her for a second, and Elizabeth was reminded strongly of Will.

"Are you having a baby?"

"No, Dad, she means we're getting a cat," Will joked. "Of course it's a baby!"

Elizabeth let out a snort of laughter. "Your method of pregnancy announcement is... unconventional."

"We Turners are like that," Bill chuckled.

"And you'd best get used to it," Will added, grinning, "since you're soon going to have another one."

* * *

It's tiny Turner time! (And tiny Sparrow, too!)


End file.
